


Eons

by harleyquinnnapier



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-06
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-01-14 17:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 57,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1274806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harleyquinnnapier/pseuds/harleyquinnnapier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU from Journey's End on. The Doctor meets two unusual people. "Someone going to explain to me what's going on?" The Doctor asked from the other side of the room. "No."</p><p>Sorry guys on hiatus until further notice, Sis wants to revamp it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Doctor's Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer i own nothing i make no profit off of this work

The Doctor's Arrival 

 

You know those days where you don't want to even get out of bed in the morning? The ones where you just know that nothing is going to get any better after you do get up and start your day. That was my every day. Waking up was just a hassle, something I had to do to assure people that I wasn't a corpse. But the problem with waking up is that then I'm not asleep. If you've ever had insomnia you'd understand. Sleeping is something of a treat when you're incapable of getting it regularly. But now I was awake. My pleasant dream of safety and comfort gone with the opening of my eyes, and the buzzing of my brain stirring promised I wouldn't be returning. Looking outside showed it was sometime in the afternoon based on the lighting. I'd fallen asleep on the couch again. I don't think I'd actually used my bedroom to sleep in over two months. It had become a dressing room more than a bedroom. My roommate and I used it for clothes, hair, and makeup but I hadn't slept in it in a while. I'd fallen into a bit of a funk. Okay so really I'd just stopped pretending to be what everyone wanted me to be. I now spent my days dreading life and my nights praying to sleep. I only dreaded the day because I hadn't slept.

For once I had actually rested. I woke up feeling better than I had in a while but I knew it wouldn't last. Like my dream, when the time came, the good feeling would be gone and I'd be back on the couch wishing to just pass out. But that was hours away at the least. So I got up, stretched, and headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. I know insomniac and coffee seems like a great idea but it was one of the only things that actually made days bearable. Even if I felt better than I had in a while there was no way I was going to try and face humanity without my caffeine. Once I had the blessed liquid brewing I turned on the stereo and turned up the volume so the music filled the apartment louder than was probably polite considering I had neighbors. Today's music selection consisted of musicals, starting with Wicked. 

I loved Wicked. The music gave me chills every time and I couldn't help but relate to the green witch. No I wasn't green but there were other things that I related to that I didn't particularly feel like thinking about so I just turned up the volume a little more and headed to the shower. My roommate wasn't home and wouldn't be for another couple of hours so I left the bathroom door open so I could still hear the music while I showered. I would have normally sung in the shower but I hadn't been awake for more than ten minutes and I didn't really like the beginning songs anyhow so I just let the music flow through me while the water washed away my sleep. I had shaved, washed my hair and body and was rinsing out my conditioner when the water started to get cold. That was one of the things I hated about my shower. It didn't stay hot long enough. Also the pressure really sucked. But there wasn't really anything I could do about it so I just finished rinsing and climbed out. 

I was redressed in a clean set of pajamas as I had nowhere to go today and my short hair was brushed out. I was still a bit out of it as I had yet to get my coffee but my mind was fully awake. That feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had everyday about things getting worse before I could sleep was stronger than usual but I wrote it off. It was an odd feeling, almost like something was going to happen that would blow all my other days out of the water and I was dreading it. It wasn't a necessarily bad feeling though. I didn't know how to explain it so I just ignored it and headed back down the short hall to the living room and kitchen to get my coffee. As soon as I got close to the living room I knew something was off though. It was only a few steps down the hall in total so it didn't take me long to realize I shouldn't have disregarded my feeling. 

There in my living room, which wasn't very big to begin with, was a big blue box that said police public call box on the top. It hadn't been there when I woke up or when I got in the shower and I found myself starring blankly at it. I'd think I was still asleep except that I could still feel the heat of my shower making my skin tingle. I liked really hot showers. I knew I was awake but then what the hell was the box. And if that wasn't weird enough there was a man with the box. He was sitting on my couch starring at the posters on the wall opposite him. He wore a suit and chucks and a brown trench coat and I felt the need to pinch myself just to make sure I wasn't unconscious. He must not have noticed me yet so I turned, went back to the bathroom, splashed water on my face and came back. Yup, still there. 

"Ah, okay then. Strange man on my sofa, blue box taking up my living room and I still haven't had any coffee. It's one of those days." I mumbled more to myself than the man on the couch. He jumped at my voice and stood up spinning to look at me but I had other concerns. There was a good possibility I was hallucinating and I needed to sober up. Heading to the kitchen I quickly prepared a cup of coffee and took a generous swig, burning my mouth in the process and then looked out of the kitchen back to the living room. The man was still standing there awkwardly watching me. I quickly turned to the medicine cabinet pulled it open and took a quick inventory of all the medications. Opening a few of the bottles I counted the pills. I don't usually keep track of my medicine that closely but I was pretty sure I'd be able to tell if there was some missing. Finding the usual amounts present I closed back up the cabinet and looked towards the man again. Still there. "Not a drug induced hallucination then and all the liquor is still accounted for. Which pretty much just leaves one explanation. You're real."

"Ah. Yup." The man popped the p and grinned at me. I nodded waiting for more of an explanation but he didn't give one. 

"How'd you get in?" I asked carefully. 

"Door was unlocked." He had a British sounding accent but it wasn't quite British. I'd never heard an accent quite like his. I'd heard a lot of accents and had a talent for pinpointing them but something about his just didn't really fit. I glanced at the front door to see it was indeed locked like I thought it would be. My roommate always locked the door when she went to work because I was usually asleep and she was as paranoid as me. Of course, just because that door was locked didn't mean much. We had the pleasure of a ground floor apartment which meant our slider was accessible to the outside world. I had to lean to see around the blue box and realized that door was unlocked. I then remembered going out for a smoke as soon as I got up and not relocking it. I never locked it when I was awake because I wasn't exactly worried about people breaking in. Apparently that was a problem now. 

"So, in the twenty minutes I was in the shower you came into my apartment, dragged in a big blue box and made yourself at home?" I asked and he nodded a little manically. "Any particular reason why?"

"I like show tunes." He said simply with a slight shrug. I nodded slowly and then realized that I'd been shouting a bit because I hadn't turned down the stereo yet. At this point I did. Not a lot but enough to be easily heard. Then took another sip of my coffee and went back to staring at the man.

"And you got the blue box in here how?" I asked carefully.

"Door was unlocked." He said again like that would explain everything.

"Uh huh. You know that door is smaller than your box right?" I asked again.

"Well, how else would I get it in here?" He questioned a calculating look in his eyes.

"Hence the question. If I knew, I wouldn't ask." I felt oddly calm given the circumstances. Of course I knew a few things this stranger probably didn't. Like what usually happens when someone gets the bright idea to break into my house. I knew how to take care of myself but so far he hadn't done anything threatening so I'd keep him talking until he either did or I found out exactly what was going on. No reason to freak out just yet.

"I parked it there." He amended his previous answer and that also didn't help me much. 

"I see that. I want to know how. That box doesn't fit through the door and I wasn't in the shower long enough for you to assemble it in here so." I paused for a minute waiting and when he still didn't answer I started getting frustrated. "Look, I don't know who you are and according to you you've found my apartment, broke in, parked a box, and got comfy in twenty minutes to listen to show tunes. Maybe this is news to you but that's not exactly something a polite member of society would do and definitely something anyone who's smart would do considering this is my apartment now you can either answer my questions honestly, or get out before I permanently disfigure that pretty face of yours and get away with it since you're the one who broke in here." 

"You think my face is pretty? Wait no focus. Why does this being your house get emphasis?" He asked reminding me of an ADHD child. I didn't grace that with a verbal answer but shifted slightly so he could see the three daggers conveniently located behind me. My eyes drifted to the entertainment center where amongst the Halloween graveyard decorations a few more knives were placed. My eyes shifted again to the couch and the knives that were placed on either end table. His eyes followed mine and with each additional weapon he caught sight of his eyes got bigger. When he looked back at me I had an eyebrow raised in question with one arm crossed over my chest the other propped on it with my coffee cup close to my mouth. "Ah, right. Violent human. Got it. What was the question?"

"Blue box, how'd you park it in my living room?" I asked still oddly calm. "And word of advice, don't insult the girl whose house you broke into."

"Right, good advice. Ah, it materialized would be the easiest way to explain it to you." He said shifting uncomfortably. I nodded again and took another look at the blue box.

"On purpose?" I questioned.

"Well, not really no." He answered sheepishly his fingers tugging at his ear.

"And you stayed after accidentally materializing in my living room because you liked the music?" I asked to test my understanding. He nodded. "And you are?"

"I'm the Doctor." He said and my eyes shot back to him looking him up and down carefully before sighing and nodding.

"Well, that explains everything." I said turning back to refill my cup.

"Wait, you know who I am? Who are you? UNIT, Torchwood?" He asked getting anxious and by the tone a little angry.

"Never heard of either of those so I'm gonna go with no. That's not me. Wait, aren't they some kind of British secret police or something? Yeah, I do remember them. Nope, definitely not me. For starters, this is America, in case the accent didn't give it away. Second, I wouldn't be caught dead with them. Literally." I was rambling a bit but only because I was finally waking up and registering what was going on. 

"Then who are you?" He asked his voice filled with suspicion.

"Jacqueline Kyros Blake. You gonna be staying long Doctor?" I asked leaving the kitchen and heading back to the couch. I sat down and pulled my laptop over to me opening it up casually.

"Uh, no. I don't think so." He said confusion filling his tone.

"Well, you gonna park your box right there until you leave?" I asked glancing at the box blocking the majority of the room. 

"Uh." He kept starring at me like he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say.

"It's just I doubt you want that box out in the open while you do whatever you're here for. Although, it's a bit inconvenient right there. I mean a foot to the right would be fine but I can't get out the door with it there." I said sipping my coffee and blankly messing with my computer. I wasn't really doing anything but it looked like I was so I was okay with that. I couldn't really focus to be doing anything but I had to do something with my hands. I opened up a game of solitaire to make myself feel better. I didn't have to focus for that and it kept my hands busy and looked like I was doing something. 

"Right. Uh. I can move it." He said but didn't move.

"Well? Foot to the right if you'd please." I said without looking up from my screen.

"You know who I am and you're not with Torchwood or UNIT and you just want me to shift to the right?" He asked his confusion getting the best of him.

"Yeah. About a foot." I said finally glancing up at him. "Problem?"

"No." He said quickly still watching me.

"Right then. I'm gonna go check the mail real quick. Move your box." I said setting down the computer and standing. I wasn't sure what to do with this particular situation. As the door closed behind me and I headed down the hall to the mailboxes my mind was spinning. Oh, I knew exactly who the doctor was but I'd always assumed he was a myth. Of course, a lot of people said that about me too so I guess I shouldn't be that shocked. But still. The Doctor was sitting in my living room listening to show tunes. I was pretty sure I hadn't hit my head recently or anything so there really was no good excuse for what was happening. I grabbed my mail and headed back to the apartment. I couldn't decide if I wanted him to still be there or not when I opened the door and went back inside. I didn't look towards the slider to see if he was either, my eyes firmly planted on the mail in my hand and my back turned to the room as I relocked the door.

"Great, more bills. Just once I'd like to get mail that gives me money and not takes it." I mumbled dropping the envelopes on the table and turning back to the room. There was the box, shifted slightly and the Doctor watching me curiously. "Kay, still here then. Well, I honestly have no idea what happens now so."

"Now you tell me who you are." The way he said it meant it wasn't a suggestion. 

"I already did. Jacqueline Kyros Blake. Not my fault you don't know the name." I said moving back to the couch. 

"Should I?" He asked.

"Not if I've done my job right." I mumbled under my breath.

"And what is your job?" He asked again and I tensed a bit looking over at him carefully.

"At the moment? Nothing. I don't have a job right now. Makes paying rent a bit tricky." I said flippantly. "But that's not what you wanted to know. I don't like being known. It's easier for me if I'm not. And before you read further into that there are billions of reasons why and I'm not going into them any further."

"So how do you know me?" He asked still watching me with that suspicious calculating look.

"I don't. Not really. I mean, I've heard stories, rumors of the Doctor and his TARDIS but that's it. Not like I've met you before." I said honestly. "Actually, I'm kind of stumped right now and that doesn't happen often. I really didn't think you were real."

"Well, here I am. Real and all." He said still slightly cautious but seeming to relax.

"You gonna stand there all day or what? I mean if you're staying in here you could at least sit down or something. Or you know go do whatever it is you're here for. I'll watch your box." I said looking back at my computer again and going back to my game.

"I need parts for the TARDIS." He said without moving.

"Ah well, you're in luck. Bryon Ohio just so happens to have the only blue box parts store in the country." I said my tone sounding completely serious.

"Really?" He asked pleasantly surprised.

"No." I said laughing like he was stupid. "What kind of shop around here is going to have parts for your box? Well, I guess that really depends on what you need though. If you could rig your part from things found on earth you might be able to find something. But I have no idea what you need so I couldn't tell you where to look." 

"I need a." He started saying words that I knew were English but to me sounded like gibberish. I thought I caught something about a time rotor but it was in relation to something else that just made my head hurt in trying to figure out what it could be. I finally held up a hand to stop him.

"I have no idea what you just said. The extent of my technobabble is whosits go with thingamajigs. I'd suggest trying one of the auto shops since I think I recognized a few words that sounded like car parts." I said trying to be helpful. 

"Oh, where's that then?" He asked a little crestfallen but bouncing back quickly. 

"In town. Where the shops live. You'll have to wait for my roommate to get home if you want to drive though. You can drive can't you? You know what, one of us will take you when she gets back." I said focusing on my game again.

"And what am I supposed to do until then?" He asked petulantly. 

"Sit, listen to show tunes. It's why you're still here isn't it?" I asked half way ignoring him. He sighed and plopped down on the other end of the couch. The silence lasted all of five seconds.

"How long until she gets here?" He asked impatiently.

"She should be here soon." I said glancing at the clock on my laptop. Again there was silence for all of fifteen seconds this time.

"Tell me about yourself." He said and I looked up and over at him. "I mean I know you're name and you know about me but I don't know anything else about you. How old are you? Where are you from? What do you like?" 

"God she better get here soon." I mumbled going back to my game. "I'm from a little town called Sunbury. It's about three hours from here. My family lives there still. I came up here for school."

"What are you studying?" He asked shifting to look at me fully actually interested.

"I was going for Forensic Science." He made a noise like he was impressed. "I got bored though. Haven't been in a while."

"That's a shame. You should go back. It's a really interesting field." He commented and I glared at him.

"I'm aware." I practically growled. He gave me a confused look and held up his hands as if to ward me off. I sighed and turned away again. "Sorry. It's just everyone tells me that. I'm fully aware of what I should do and I wouldn't have started if it wasn't interesting. But it's my life and if I want to fuck it up all on my own I will. People telling me to do differently just makes me want to do the opposite. You're not the first to make that comment and I'm just so sick of hearing it I took it out on you." He nodded like he understood. 

"So why did you stop going?" He asked carefully. I shrugged.

"I liked it well enough I guess but it started to feel like something I had to do and not something I wanted to do. It felt like an order and I don't do well with orders. I wanted to do it for me but then everyone I know starts telling me how proud they are and they can't wait for me to finish and it's really the best thing for me. They were supportive I guess but there was a tone to their comments that said don't fuck this up and you're a failure if you don't succeed. It wasn't for me anymore. It was something that was expected of me. And if it wasn't for me than I wasn't going to be happy doing it so why bother?" I explained as well as possible and he really seemed to understand that. 

"You should do what makes you happy." He encouraged and I scoffed.

"Sorry, it's just, not a whole lot makes me happy these days and the things that do are kind of looked down on." I said a little bitterly. He opened his mouth to say something else but at that moment I heard the key in the lock and the door unlocking. He stopped and looked to the door. My roommate stepped in and went about her routine of dropping her keys on the table, taking off her coat and relocking the door before finally turning to look at me. I knew the moment she turned even though I was playing my game again. She froze and a small squeak escaped her throat as she took in the living room. 

"Hey. How was work?" I asked casually.

"Shit. Who's this?" She asked just as simply though her body was still frozen. If I'd looked at her I would see her eyes were wide and darting between the box and the Doctor. 

"The Doctor." I answered and she tensed even more. 

"Oh. That's nice?" She asked carefully. There was so much more to that question and everyone in the room knew it.

"So far." I answered finally looking up. We shared a look that held an entire conversation and then she nodded and turned back to the table. 

"I got us some more suckers. What flavor you want?" She asked sliding into the casual behavior I'd adopted.

"Got cherry?" I asked standing up and going to her. She handed me a sucker and I grinned and went back to the couch.

"I'm gonna change my pants and then I was thinking we could watch a movie." She said her eyes now avoiding the living room.

"Can't. There's a box blocking the T.V." I answered and she nodded. "He needs parts. I was thinking we could take him to one of the auto places in town."

"They're closed already. It's Sunday remember." She answered.

"Right. Well. I'm gonna go smoke. Find me when you're changed. We need to talk about how we're gonna get rent." I said standing again and heading outside. I barely heard a grunted response as she disappeared down the hall and I stepped outside. I wasn't there long when she came outside and closed the door. I usually kept it cracked but we both knew this was a closed door conversation. 

"What did you do?" She asked immediately.

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?" I asked offended.

"The Doctor is in our living room." She said angrily.

"And that means I must have done something?" I asked just as angrily.

"Usually, yes." She said crossing her arms.

"Well I didn't. I just got out of the shower and he was there. It's been a very weird day and I haven't even been awake for more  
than two hours." I said taking a hit off my cigarette.

"Does he know." She started.

"No." I interrupted exhaling the smoke. "I told him my name but he didn't recognize it."

"What about me?" She asked nervously.

"My roommate. I haven't even said your name." I reassured her. It didn't really help though and we both knew it. 

"What do we do?" She asked.

"How should I know? I'm just making this up as I go. He said he needs parts so I told him we could take him to get them. I'm  
thinking if we just get him the parts then he can go away and we don't have to do anything." I said my eyes watching the trees instead of her as I made up plans on the spot.

"And when he finds out, because we both know he will." I gave her a pleading look and she sighed. "We know your luck and add mine to it and he's going to find out. We need to have some kind of plan."

"No we don't." I insisted. "Plans mean failure when I'm involved, you know that. If I plan than it goes horribly wrong and we end up dead. I'll make a plan when I need it. Until then I suggest we just go with it." 

"This is the part where one of us makes a statement that's undoubtedly going to jinx us." She said and I grinned leading to her own smile.

"Let's not then. I'm almost done. Go on in and I'll be there in a sec." I said and she nodded before opening the door and heading back in. My mind was whirling again as I finished my cigarette. Worse case scenarios flying through my brain faster than I could keep up with. With a final pull on my smoke, I put it out and stepped back inside. It took me a couple seconds to realize that my roommate was frozen again and another couple seconds to realize why. Standing on the other side of the living room was the Doctor with a hard face, his arms crossed, and a look in his eyes that was nothing short of dangerous.

"You know Time Lords have senses that humans can't even compare to. Meaning I have incredible hearing. Would you like to explain now?" He asked his voice just as dark as his eyes. I felt my hand reach next to me to grip my friends arm. She raised her hand to grip mine and my other hand drifted for a weapon on the bookcase next to me without me really giving it permission to. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"So about that plan?" My friends voice drifted to me quiet scared and squeaky.

"Working on it." I mumbled my eyes wide.

"I so told you so." She said her voice a little louder.

"Is this really the time for that?" I asked my eyes never leaving the Doctor.

"Since we'll probably be dead in the very near future, yeah, I think this is the perfect time for that." She growled out her eyes glancing over at me. 

"We'll probably be dead in the very near future. Get a little perspective, Hope." I snapped back.

"Oh I've got perspective. Why do I ever leave you alone? You just can't help yourself. I told you not to do anything and you did it anyway. And now look what's happened." She tugged her arm away from me to turn and glare at me.

"I didn't do anything. I told you I didn't do anything. I haven't done anything in years. You can't blame this on me. The guy just showed up all on his own. Nothing done by me." I ranted back at her. 

"Yeah, sure. You always do something." She glared at me and I glared right back.

"Not this time. I was in the shower. I hadn't even had my coffee yet when he popped up." I told her.

"What did you dream about?" She asked crossing her arms like that would prove her point.

"I don't know. I haven't remembered my dreams in a long time. You know that." She waited with an eyebrow raised. "I don't remember." Still nothing and I looked away. "Okay so I did wake up feeling kind of good."

"I told you." She threw up her hands and turned away frustrated.

"Someone going to explain to me what's going on?" The Doctor asked from the other side of the room. Some of the danger had left his countenance to be replaced by interest and confusion. Neither of us were in a place to realize that though.

"No." We both snapped before turning back to the other and then seemingly realizing what we'd done and turning back to look at him horror in our eyes. He had an eyebrow raised in question.

"We should either run or talk about now right?" I asked Hope without taking my eyes away again. 

"Yeah. But I don't think either will help." She said back. 

"Good point." I sighed and reached for the bookshelf. There was motion around me but I ignored it and grabbed my cigarettes, turning and opening the slider again. "Well, if we're gonna sign our death warrants, might as well kill myself a little more in the process."

"Jesus, Jack. You're trying to get us killed aren't you?" Hope asked reaching through the door to hit me upside the head. I glared at her and swatted her hand away, closing the slider most of the way so I could still hear and talk but keep most of the smoke out.

"You're the one who said we're most likely not going to survive anyhow, what are you so worried about?" I asked her incredulously. 

"I'd like to keep breathing as long as possible thank you. You're the one who can talk white into black so talk our way out." She argued facing me, both of us seemingly forgetting the Doctor again.

"Oh yeah, that's brilliant. I'll just tell the Doctor that we're not human but we are and that every catastrophe to befall his favorite planet is my fault and you help me. That's genius. Do you have any idea how hard it is to explain to someone that we're demons to get out of trouble? It's not that simple."

"What?" The Doctor's voice rang out behind us and we both closed our eyes in an oh shit moment.

"Apparently it's that easy after all." Hope mumbled.

"We're not out of trouble moron." I mumbled back. 

"Back up and explain." He said coming over to us as well. I sighed and took a long drag on my cigarette. 

"Might as well get comfy, Time Lord, this could take a bit." Hope snarked moving to the couch and plopping down.

"What do you mean demons? There's no such thing." He said looking between us but still standing.

"Not that you know of. Everything that you've come across that people call demons are just lost aliens. We're not. Aliens I mean." I tried to explain. "We're older than that. We've, well I've, been around longer than time itself so you'd have trouble comprehending since your existence is based on time."

"That's not possible." He said like it was fact. 

"See. You can't comprehend. Let's try a different method. Say we call the universe Earth. There were civilizations and beings before the earth was formed. We're those beings. We're from beyond your universe and we've been here since your universe was created." I tried to explain and he seemed to get that idea.

"Not willingly." Hope mumbled.

"Just because we got sent here doesn't mean it wasn't by choice. We both chose to be sent to a new universe. We just didn't pick this one in particular. And no amount of complaining is going to change that. You've been trying for eons. Give it up." I told her.

"But you seem human." The Doctor said like he could accept that there were being beyond the universe but not that we were them.

"So do you." Hope said still pouting.

"Two hearts." He shot back and she lowered her head.

"For all intents and purposes we are human. We live, we age, we die as humans and then we're reborn as a new human. Like you're regeneration process only we have to live the whole life. Before humans we were whatever life form was dominate on whatever planet we landed on." I cut in to try and diffuse an argument. "But we do have certain abilities that are decidedly not human. However the majority of it can't be contained in a humans body so there kind of locked away where we can't use them. Accept for some cheap tricks there's not a lot we can do in these forms."

"And you're job? You mentioned you couldn't be known for your job." He said looking at the floor like he was trying to piece together a puzzle down there.

"I said it was easier if I wasn't known and that's true. We have different jobs but they're all the same at the same time. The job is to maintain balance. The universe can't exist without balance. But there are different classes so to speak, different departments within the company. I'm a Bringer of Havoc. Where I go chaos follows. Nothing I can do about it really, especially not like this. Hope is damage control for the most part. She helps keep me in control, keeps me company, and cleans up the mess when I lose it." I lit another cigarette and studied the Doctor to see if he was getting it.

"So the Earths catastrophes." He asked glancing at me again.

"The reason this planet seems so jeopardy friendly is because it's where I'm currently stuck. Yes." I answered tensing as I watched him for a reaction. He just looked over at Hope.

"And you control her?" He asked and Hope and I both laughed. 

"You don't control Havoc and the Bringer of can't be controlled either. I'm her friend. You have a tendency to listen to your friends but still have the ability to tell them no." Hope explained. 

"But you were in school." The Doctor turned back to me confusion clear on his face.

"I told you, I live a human life. I can't just travel around doing whatever I want without money. I have limitations any other human would have. I'm supposed to get a degree, a job, a house, a family and live happily ever after the human way." My tone was bitter and disgusted at this point. "But it's not what I want. Like I said earlier."

"What makes you happy is frowned on." He remembered nodding. Hope laughed again.

"What makes her happy is illegal." She said still chuckling and I glared at her. "Give her a natural disaster, a ten car pile up, or the genocide of an entire city and she'll be happy. Other than that she's just kind of content and even then only if something else is shitty."

"Thanks, Hope." I ground out glaring at her. "You're really trying to get me killed aren't you?" 

"Not that it'll do any good. You'll just come back in a new body, remember." She said smugly.

"You know as well as I that they'll stick me in limbo for a good two hundred years after last time and that I hate limbo. It's so boring." I complained. 

"It's Limbo. Not a vacation resort." She shot back still chuckling.

"Who's them?" The Doctor asked.

"We don't know." We both shrugged. "They think they're in charge so when I do something they don't agree with they have a tendency to have me killed but I'm too important to keep dead so they just stick me in time out and then ship me back to start over."

"Oh you don't sound at all full of yourself." Hope said rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it's not my fault there's only two bringers in this universe. Or that the other one doesn't know how to do his job." I grumbled. 

"Okay, this is weird. And coming from me that's saying something." The Doctor said looking between us again. 

"Yeah well, you get used to it." I said shrugging and putting out my cigarette. "So you gonna kill us or what?"

"Why am I killing you again?" He asked.

"We're the reason bad things happen." Hope said like it was obvious.

"But we're also integral to the continued life of the universe." I said shooting Hope a warning look.

"Right, I don't make a habit of killing things until they prove to me that they deserve it. Neither of you have." He said looking between us still.

"Great then." I said stepping back inside. "Who wants popcorn?" 

"What?" the Doctor asked confused again.

"Popcorn. Corn that is popped. I haven't eaten yet today." I said moving to the kitchen. Hope joined me and we moved about the kitchen getting popcorn and chips and dip. 

"That went well." She whispered while we both stood in front of the microwave. 

"Talking black into white, like you said." I whispered back and grinned at her. "I think the beginning confusion helped a bit."

"Usually does." She grinned back. 

"I can still hear you." The Doctor said at a normal volume and we both had the decency to look down and blush a bit.

"This is gonna be fun." Hope murmured crankily.

"I think so. It's like that time at that monastery." I said dumping the popcorn into the bowl.

"The one with the candlestick?" She asked smiling fondly.

"No that was a fort remember. I'm talking about the one with the monks." I answered to clarify and she rolled her eyes.

"That's like twenty." She said bringing the chips back to the living room.

"With the party." I said following.

"Fifteen." She shot back plopping onto the couch. 

"In the mountains." I said plopping on my end of the couch. She gave me a look. "Right twelve. Uh. The one with the..no  
that's still six. What about the.oh never mind." 

"I thought you said you couldn't just travel around. That conversation alone had twenty one different locations." The Doctor asked standing before us.

"Different lives." Hope mumbled around a chip that was in her mouth.

"We can remember bits from most of our lives. Not all of it but certain things stand out." I looked over at Hope with a huge smile. "Like the candlestick."

"Come on, that was hilarious." She said like she was defending herself. "At least I didn't light it."

"No you just put them in there and I told you if you're gonna do it you might as well go all the way." I said back and we both broke into giggles. 

"Oh and remember that one with the coat?" Hope asked excitedly.

"The blue one or the red one?" I asked to clarify.

"The purple one." She said and I burst into laughter at the memory.

"I'm going to go tinker." The Doctor said turning and stepping into the TARDIS. As soon as the door closed Hope and I sobered up, moved closer to each other and started whispering.

"So now what?" She asked frantically.

"Again, how should I know? I'm sticking with plan A. Just go with it." I said a little calmer than her.

"Fine, but if we die, it's so your fault." She said simply and I nodded.

"I will totally take the credit for death by Doctor." I said and she smiled and then stood up. 

"I gotta work again tomorrow so I'm gonna go chill for a bit and then sleep." She said taking her chips and dip and heading to her room. I knew it would be hours before she fell asleep but she liked to wind down on her own before going to sleep in the evenings. Since I'd just gotten up I wasn't anywhere close to tired but I was used to spending my time alone and I didn't mind. I just moved back to my corner of the couch and picked up my laptop again.


	2. Torchwood

I wasn't really sure how much time had passed when the door to the TARDIS opened again and the Doctor stepped out. I had managed to distract the majority of my brain with my laptop. I did know the sun had gone down a while ago as I'd had to get up and turn on a light so I could get a drink from the kitchen. I'd finished my pot of coffee a while ago too so I had to guess at least six hours had passed. The Doctor just glanced around looking for Hope and then just looked at me.

"She went to bed. She's gotta work in the morning." I told him and he nodded and sat on the couch.

"I looked you up." He said after a short pause.

"And what'd you find." I asked him keeping my eyes on my screen.

"Not much." He answered.

"Not surprising. You don't have a lot to look under." I told him simply. 

"Just the names you've given me." He responded and I wasn't sure if there was a question in there or not. 

"Are you looking for something in particular?" I asked him knowing I was going to have to give him more answers. I'd figured that out shortly after Hope had gone to bed. There was no way he'd just leave it alone until he actually understood what we were. It would be easier for Hope, she knew the answer. Me? Well, I was a confused mess that I didn't even understand.

"I'm not really sure. I guess I can understand the what of you, though I'm not sure I actually believe it, but who you are seems to evade me." He admitted. I set the computer down again and turned to look at him.

"Well, that's not exactly an easy question to answer. What makes any person who they are? I've lived hundreds of lives as hundreds of species. I have memories of times and places that don't even exist yet or anymore. And yet I'm a regular human girl at the same time. I've fought entire armies and won and have power and abilities the human mind can't fathom but I'm completely ordinary. You want to know who I am but the simple answer is that I don't even know." I told him watching his eyes the whole time.

"So let's start with now. Who you are in this body. Usually works for me." He said with a kind smile. I felt like I was talking to a therapist.

"I'm a human." I told him and he raised an eyebrow. "I'm the middle of three children, my dad is Hungarian, my mother is a bit flighty, I hate my sister and my brother is a bum. I'm officially diagnosed with Bipolar disorder but the truth is it's not that my emotions jump up and down it's that I simply don't have them. My demonic makeup doesn't really allow for emotion the way humans feel it. I'm ridiculously logical as well which counteracts emotion most of the time. To the casual observer I'm depressed and to an extent it's true. I crave my demon. I need the power and the strength and the fight but I'm limited by a human body so I seem to be just letting myself waste away until the day my demon can play. I'm waiting."

"For what?" He asked calmly.

"War." I said simply. "Sometime in the future, the world is going to wake up and realize that humans aren't alone. There's going to be a war and it'll be when I get to wake up. My demon will come forth and I'll be able to fight like I was meant to. Fight to keep the balance. It'll be exciting and freedom will fill me and I'll finally be at peace. When the world goes to war, the one inside of me calls a truce."

"You crave war?" He asked his expression closing down.

"No. I crave purpose. In case you hadn't noticed there's not a whole lot for a bringer of havoc to do around here. My just being here keeps the balance on its own. The humans create chaos and order all on there own. My presence occasionally throws a monkey wrench in the machine for them to work out. But in times like these, when there's order and balance, there's nothing for me to do. I get bored. So I crave just a little more crazy so I have something to do." I tried explaining.

"So you want to send this world into a war where millions will die so you won't be bored?" He asked that same cold guarded expression on his face.

"In a way, yes. But I'm not going to make it happen. If I do it defeats the purpose. I'm a being of chaos, a bringer of havoc, it's in my nature. But I chose to keep the balance and that's just as important as my nature. So I'll wait and I'll wish until some day someone does something that lets me let out my nature. And then no power in the universe can stop me from doing whatever needs to be done to return the balance." I tried again. He seemed to be getting it but I could tell he didn't truly understand.

"But that's the demon again. Who are you now?" He asked.

"It's all the same. Right now, I'm this human stuck in a human life but I know my demon is there and I hate being human because I know I'm more than that but there's nothing I can do to make that part of me rise to the surface. I'm limited by human standards. I'm miserable and I'm complicated and all I want is for something to happen to change the mundane existence I'm forced to live. You want to know who I am but I can't answer that because I'm currently two people trapped in one form. I'm a human and I'm a demon and who I am is a mix of the both and they aren't exactly friendly. I'm sorry but that's the best answer I can give." 

"And if that something were to happen to change your life. What then?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know. Probably the same thing as this entire day. Just go with it. See where it takes me and hope I end up on top. And if I don't then I'll more than likely die which just means I start over again. Live a new life and see where that goes." I answered. 

"I'd like you to come with me." He said slowly after a moment like he was still debating with himself if he was doing the right thing.

"Come with you where and how?" I asked cautiously. My logical mind was saying these were questions that must be asked. My bored mind was saying who cares as it's something new, maybe it'll bring a bit of excitement for a bit.

"To Cardiff. I have a friend there who I think can help me understand you. We'll take the TARDIS and I'll bring you right back here after, I promise." He said still watching me with that cautious look. 

"Cardiff has a Torchwood facility." I said suspiciously and his eyes widened just a bit in shock. "I know Torchwood, and the rift. A being like me has a tendency to not mix well with either. I make a point of avoiding them."

"Well, you'll be fine as long as you're with me. Will you come?" He asked sincerity in his eyes now. My eyes drifted behind him to the hall and I debated if it was a good idea or not. I didn't like the idea of leaving Hope alone with the new turn our lives had taken. I knew she could take care of herself but she was sleeping. And with our luck tonight would be the night something happened while I was on the other side of the planet. But if I didn't go I could be making things worse for us here or passing up an opportunity that would never come again. 

"Let me lock up and write a note to Hope. If she wakes up and we're not here I don't want her to worry." I said standing up and moving to do as I'd said. The Doctor practically leaped off the couch in his excitement that manic grin on his face again. I shook my head and locked the slider, pulling the blinds shut and went to the kitchen to find paper and a pen. We had papers and pens everywhere in the apartment but the main store was in a drawer in the kitchen because we could never find them anywhere else when we needed them. I jotted down a quick note and stuck it to the front door where she'd see it as soon as she came out of her room and then headed towards the TARDIS. The Doctor was reading my note from where he stood.

"Gone to face the inquisition. If not back by morning I'm in Cardiff. Come save me or hide really well." He read before looking at me like he wanted to laugh. I just shrugged and kept moving towards the blue doors.

"Figured I'd cover all my bases." I explained and he just nodded but didn't move to let me into the box. "She'll understand that I'm either in desperate need of a rescue or it's too dangerous and she should go to ground to save herself from my fate. Depends on the pagan page I respond with." 

"Pagan page?" He questioned.

"It's like a psychic message. We're connected her and me. If she reads that in the morning and I'm not back then she'll send out a signal to me to see if I'm ok. I'll send one back telling her the answer. We have them for anyone we're close to. It gets tricky trying to remember what page goes to who sometimes. It's not like words in our brain. It's just a feeling we get. Sometimes it's a stabbing in the back of the head, others a spot on the leg will go numb with cold. Just depends. But the point is we can tell if we're in trouble or not no matter where we are." I explained again and this time he did get it.

"Good to know." He said before opening the door and holding it for me to step inside. The shock I felt upon entering that box was the hardest thing to hide I'd ever had to in my entire existence. I glanced back at the Doctor who had an excited expectant look on his face and then looked back to the huge room I now stood in. I silently took in my surroundings noting how the Doctor still stood holding the door open like he was waiting for me to run back out. I was tempted to but I forced my feet to stand still.

"I don't think the auto shop is gonna have your parts." I said finally forcing my feet to move further into the ship rather than out and around and back in. There was an almost disappointed sigh as I heard the Doctor come in and close the door. I turned to look at him and the same look was on his face. I grinned. "Oh I'm sorry did you want me to get all excited and run around like a headless chicken stuttering about how it's bigger on the inside?" 

"It's one of my favorite parts yeah." He admitted moving to the console.

"Sorry to disappoint." I said still smirking. He looked over at me and studied me for a moment. 

"You're fighting really hard not to aren't you?" He questioned his own smirk starting to form.

"You have no idea." I said a full blown smile forming. His grin became manic again seemingly pleased with the response. "Show this to Hope sometime and you'll get the headless chicken, stuttering, possible screaming, definite squealing and if you're really lucky she might just faint." 

"I'll have to do that then." He said looking back to the console and flipping random switches. "You might want to hold onto something."

My hand grabbed for the railing beside me and I gripped it tightly shifting my feet so I had more solid footing and felt the rest of my muscles tense up to hold me in place. No sooner was I sure that I was as stable as I was gonna get then the ship shook violently and I had to grab the railing with my other hand as well to keep from falling. It felt like a rollercoaster and I struggled to watch as the doctor ran around the console hitting buttons and flipping switches at a rapid rate while periodically falling one way or the other into the console or the railing. When the rocking about finally stopped it was to the Doctor falling back into the railing and loud thump like we'd just landed. I let go of the railing with one hand and let my muscles loosen up before letting go with the other.

"Yeah, you're not driving my car anywhere." I mumbled stepping away from the railing and heading for the door. 

"I'll have you know I'm an incredible driver. No one else can pilot like I can." He boasted.

"I don't doubt that." I said and it took him a minute to realize I hadn't meant it as a compliment. He was about to say something when I opened the door and stepped out. I'd never seen the inside of Torchwood but this was no where near what I'd been expecting. It was like a tower in the center but a subway station and a horrible public restroom around the outside. Wires and computers were strewn about everywhere and I was pretty sure I'd seen something flying out of the corner of my eye. In front of me stood a man in a suit who looked like a butler which wasn't helped by the tray of coffee mugs he held. I could see other people trying to be sneaky about looking my way on the outskirts of my vision but I didn't pay them any attention. My focus stayed on the butler who was soon joined by a man in an old army trench who was smiling brightly like Christmas just came early. The grin kind of unnerved me considering where I was.

"Doctor. I can't tell you how glad I was to hear you wanted to stop by. It only got better when you promised there wouldn't be any world ending." The man said with an American accent and I felt myself raise an eyebrow. 

"Captain Jack Harkness, I'd like you to meet Jacqueline Kyros Blake. I landed in her apartment this afternoon." The Doctor said moving to stand beside me. Captain Jack stepped forward a hand held out to me.

"It's a pleasure to meet you really." He said a little too excited. I felt myself cringe backwards and kept my hands at my side. 

"Is he gonna start humping my leg or something?" I asked leaning towards the Doctor like I should be whispering. The butler chuckled.

"Knowing him it's a possibility." The man said coming forward as well. "My name is Ianto. I was told you were fond of coffee but I didn't know what kind." 

"No offense Ianto but I'm not drinking anything you guys offer. Besides any more coffee today and I'll be more jumpy than the two of them." I said gesturing to the other two men beside us. He smiled like he didn't blame me and then offered the tray to the Doctor.

"Tea is in the blue mug Doctor if you're thirsty." He said and the Doctor grinned and took the cup.

"Are you really the Jacqueline Kyros Blake?" Said another British voice and I turned to see three more people finally come out of hiding. Two women, one of them Asian, and another man. It was the man who'd spoken and I had to assume he was some kind of doctor from the white lab coat.

"In the flesh. Human flesh this go round to be exact. How exactly do you know me?" I asked a confused look on my face.

"Just stories and rumors." The Doctor mumbled next to me and I had to fight the urge to smack him. 

"We didn't think you were real. Something like the boogey man to be honest." The Asian girl said shyly. I had a feeling she was fighting not to stutter as she stared at me.

"Nice guy, actually. Has a thing for strawberry alcohol. Doesn't matter what kind as long as it's strawberry." I said like it was fact. The other woman let out a laugh.

"You're joking right? The boogey man likes strawberry drinks." She scoffed and I gave her a puzzled look.

"Oh yeah. He's obsessed with them. This one time we were in Morocco, or was it Madrid? Anyway he had this ridiculous sombrero but no one would say anything about it because they were to scared. I mean you can't really blame them, the guy is fear itself but it was the funniest thing ever to see these poor people caught between wanting to piss themselves and laugh hysterically at the foreigner in the sparkly bedazzled sombrero." I said my tone changing slightly to fond remembrance as I told the story.

"Now I know you're yanking my chain. A sombrero?" The same woman said.

"It's true. I've seen it. He wasn't wearing it but I've seen the hat." Captain Jack piped up confirming at least part of my story and giving me a fond look. I just grinned back.

"I thought she'd be bigger." The guy in the lab coat said cocking his head slightly like he was trying to study my insides from across the room.

"What? Five ten not enough for you? Should I come stand beside you so I can look down and make you feel smaller?" I asked a little angry knowing the man was the shortest one here. 

"That's not what I meant. It's just all the stories made you out to be some kind of Amazon." He tried explaining struggling to find the right words.

"I was once." I said losing myself in another memory. "An Amazon. Wonderful time I had too. Although they were a bit touchy. Great warriors. Horrible kissers." 

"I like her." Captain Jack said smiling wide again. The Doctor just rolled his eyes. 

"Sorry." I mumbled to the Doctor before looking back to the three still huddled together up by the computers. "I've always been tall for my species though. I hate it when I'm short so I don't do it often. The stories about my size are a bit exaggerated at times depending on which body I was in but I'm almost always big." 

"But you're only five ten. That's not particularly abnormal for a human." Ianto said a little nervously like he wasn't sure how I'd react. 

"Tall enough to be a super model but not so tall that I can't blend into the crowd. And obviously I don't have the other assets to be a model." I told him kindly.

"I think you've got great assets." Jack said grinning a completely different grin.

"Are you kidding? Ass yes. My ass is fabulous but I've got hardly any boob and the shoulders and ribs of an American linebacker. Not model material." I said like it was nothing.

"Are we really discussing your body." The English woman asked incredulously.

"Well, it's easy for you. You've got a rack." I said making her blush. "But seriously I've got nothing to work with. Makes maneuverability easy sure but is hell when halter shopping." 

"So what do you think Jack? Is she who she claims?" The Doctor asked steering the conversation away from breasts.

"She could be. Certainly sounds a bit like her. It's been a while since I read up on her." He admitted. 

"You came for confirmation?" I asked turning on the Doctor. "You said we were coming because your friend could help you understand what I am not because you didn't believe me."

"Does it matter?" The lab coat said and I shot him a glare that had him stepping backwards.

"Yes it matters." I ground out before turning that glare on the doctor. "I haven't lied to you once since you popped up in my living room. I didn't pull a weapon on you when you broke in while I was in the shower and I didn't even verbally threaten you. I told you who I really am and offered to help you get the parts for your damn box and this is how you repay that trust? By dragging me across the planet to prove who I am?"

"Well it's not like it's an easy story to believe." He shot back not backing down from my glare.

"So? I didn't drag you anywhere to confirm you're who you say you are. You say you're a time lord with a blue box that travels through time and space and has two hearts. That's more believable than I'm a demon that's been around since before time began?" I shot at him and now he did have the decency to look a little sheepish.

"I still don't get how that works. Time has always been there. How can you exist outside of it? It's not possible." He said like that was his defense now.

"You've been to the end of the universe. You think that's it? That there's nothing after that? Or what about that singular moment that started the universe? You think it just happened? No. Someone made it happen. Demons made it happen." I ranted. 

"But not you. You said you were sent here." He said back.

"You didn't create the Earth. Just because you're present doesn't mean it's your fault." I shot right back. I could barely see the others in the room watching us they're eyes shooting back and forth like a tennis match.

"But you're presence does cause things." He responded remembering other parts of the conversation. 

"So does yours. You know you're as bad as I am sometimes. You can't step out of your box without winding up running from one catastrophe or another. The only difference is that I can't currently control my chaos." I said stepping forward slightly. He was about to retort when a loud screeching pulled my eyes upwards. A freaking dinosaur was flying towards us fast and I just barely hit the ground before it swooped back up away from me. I glanced to the side to see the Doctor beside me. "See?"

"That was not my fault." He grumbled standing back up. A thump behind us had me turning to look at the TARDIS where the prehistoric bird now perched on the top. My body froze and I watched it cautiously. I could hear Captain Jack and the others rushing about frantically while the Doctor and I stood afraid to move. Another loud screech from the beast and I crinkled my face.

"No. No way." I said before stepping closer to it. The Doctor grabbed my arm and I shrugged it off before climbing on the railing beside me to get a little more height and looking at the thing closer.

"Are you out of your mind? Get away from it. Not closer." I heard Jack shouting behind me. 

"Shut up. I know this thing." It snapped at me and I held up a hand in apology. "Guy. I know this guy." 

"What?" I wasn't sure which voices chorused the question but it was definitely more than one.

"Yeah. You're... Shit, don't bite me but I don't remember your name. It was a long time ago and I don't think this throat could pronounce it anyway. How did you get here? Last time I saw you, well, you were actually trying to take my head off but like I said that was a long time ago. You been here this whole time?" I asked conversationally and it ducked it's head as if in response.

"Well I'll be damned. It speaks English." Jack said and I could see him with his hands on his hips an astonished look on his face. 

"Not really. He's just always understood me. Never did figure out why." I said reaching my hand up as if to pet him. He snapped again and I jerked back. "Okay, sorry. Still touchy about that thing then?" He screeched one more time and then took off. "Guess so."

"This is insanity." The Asian girl said and when I looked at her it looked like she hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"This is weird even by my standards." Jack said looking up at where I was still perched on the railing.

"Yeah well. This is strange for this life but not even close to abnormal for me." I said stepping back down. "You learn to just go with it."

"You keep saying that." The Doctor said watching me like I was going to snap like that dinosaur.

"Only way to go really." I said crossing my arms as if challenging him to question me.

"So did you still want to look through the records we have of her?" Jack asked trying to stop another tennis match before it started.

"Yes." Both of us said and the Doctor gave me a questioning look.

"I need to know what they've figured out. There's some sensitive information they should not be privy to." I answered the look.

"Such as?" Jack asked.

"Such as the location of the vaults I have stashed worldwide containing items of power I've collected throughout the years. If you know where they are, I'll have to move them." I answered him.

"You have vaults?" The lab coat asked.

"What do you think happens to all my shit when I die? It doesn't disappear just because I'm reborn. It's stored, locked away where no one can get to it. Especially people like you." I shot at him another glare crossing my face but not quite as strong as the last one.

"Okay so why don't we head to the board room and get started on those files. Ianto made sure to digitalize everything after you called so no rifling through stacks of paperwork." Jack said excitedly moving to guide the Doctor and I away from the now offended lab coat.

We walked into a board room and I only took a quick glance around before jumping forward and looking at the screen set up at one end. It was being projected to the wall but I wanted to look through the information so I ignored the display and worked with the control. My eyes scanned the screen while my fingers flew across the keyboard opening files and skimming while searching for any information they shouldn't have. I could see the display flashing with information as fast as my fingers moved but I didn't really focus on any of it. After a good ten minutes of me doing this, ignoring the conversation around me, I finally looked up at the room. I'd opened every single file on the screen and they were now all piled up on the display in a jumbled mess of screens. It looked like an ad bomb had gone off on the screen. 

"Well?" Jack asked a little nervously. The Doctor had a pair of glasses on and was focusing on the display. The other four were just as anxious as Jack.

"You don't have any locations." My voice sounded confused. "I mean none. Not where I was when I born or died or where I caused the most damage. None of my vaults or safe houses. Nothing. You don't even have what planet I was on for each life you've manage to track." 

"There are a few that do have where you were at like Egypt or Rome or Greece but nothing more specific. It's like each life the information on you was destroyed before it could be catalogued. We've got a basic overview but no details." Jack explained and I couldn't help the slightly evil grin that crossed my face.

"Good. So I did do my job." I said looking back to the screen. "Let's see then. Trip down memory lane where do we start. How about the top?"

"There's no times either. We don't know the year of any of these. I mean you can kind of guess based on the pictures but nothing for sure. I don't know where the top is." Jack said moving to stand by me. 

"Oh I meant the top of the display." I said glancing at the larger screen. "I kind of opened up everything. So I was just gonna work my back down through screens until they're all closed up again." 

"Ah, so really no sense of order then." The lab coat said taking a seat at the table and leaning back. 

"I'm a bringer of havoc. What part of that suggests order?" I asked glaring over at him. He was going to speak but the chair he leaned in broke and he fell to floor. I grinned and looked back at the screen. There was a burst of sound as people went to the man to help him up or examine the chair. I just sat calmly.

"Did you do that?" The Doctor asked after scanning the chair with his sonic screwdriver.

"Cheap tricks Doc, I can still do cheap tricks." I said actually reading the screen. "Oh, look at this one. Why couldn't I still look like that?"

"That's you?" Jack asked dropping lab coat as he stared at the display where I'd blown up a picture of me from one of my past lives.

"Yup." I said popping the p like the Doctor had done. "I mean seriously, that one was like perfect. Legs for days, slim figure, breasts that grabbed attention but didn't get in the way, hypnotizing eyes, gorgeous hair. God, I'm jealous of me." 

"I'm jealous of you." Jack said sitting beside me still starring. "What happened?"

"Uh.Cannon ball. I was a pirate." I said after a moment of thinking. 

"Explains the corset." The English woman said sitting next to me as well.

"Not really. I'm a huge fan. Still wear them. Trick is though to learn how not to breathe. If you can breathe in a corset it's not on right." I told her and she nodded like this was a school lesson and she was absorbing all the information.

"What about that one?" She asked pointing to a different picture. "What happened there?"

"Ah that, well, that was either pulled apart by horses or disembowelment." I said cringing and changing the screen. "I try not to think about it."

"Who are they?" The Asian woman asked dropping into a chair as the next screen came into view. I sighed longingly and just stared at the screen.

"The Carazzis." My voice and Jacks rang out in that same longing tone while the Doctors sounded annoyed. Jack and I shot him a look and then turned to each other.

"Which ones did you sleep with?" I asked him immediately. He pointed to two of the six men on the screen and I grinned. 

"You?" He asked and I pointed to five. "Wow. Got around did you?"

"I've met them several times over several lives. Have to say Damian was always my favorite though." I boasted. 

"I always wondered what he'd be like. I mean just look at him. But he never looked my way." Jack said sadly. Ianto coughed and Jack straightened, his face becoming blank and serious as he clicked that screen away. 

"Wait, hold up. That's this time." I said shoving Jack's hand away as I stared at the picture of a little girl in a park. She was small with long hair wearing shorts and a tank top and tennis shoes. Beside her was a boy in a suit and beside him was another boy in a different suit. I clicked on the picture and more of them showed up to reveal the three kids running around the park in still frame. My eyes shot around the screen and then I looked up at the display as one picture of just the girl popped up. She was farther away then the others had shown but it was clearly her. She was walking away from a tree on her own. It was the only picture that didn't show her with the two boys. "How did you get this?"

"It was in the archives when we went to go look. We don't know how it got there." The Asian girl answered.

"You shouldn't have this. No one should have this. No one was there. That is this life. I was six or eight or somewhere around there. I was in the park by myself waiting for the boys. This shouldn't exist." I said my voice raising as I got to my feet. I walked over to the wall, realized it was a board and started moving the pictures around until I found another of the same girl on the ground. Again, she was alone but she was just lying on the sidewalk. I threw the picture to the other side of the board and spun on the room. "How did you get these?"

"We don't know. They were just part of the file." Jack said carefully. His eyes were a little too wide though.

"What's so important about these? Like you said, they're from this life. There's loads of other information in these files that's worse than just a little girl playing dress up in the park." The Doctor ask casually. My eyes spun on him and even he tensed a bit. That got me to snap out of my rage. It took a minute of breathing with my eyes closed before my muscles relaxed.

"We weren't playing dress up. Danny, the one in the middle, was obsessed with James Bond. We'd play Bond in the park." I said chuckling at the faces my response got and helping to relax me further. "Yeah, that was my childhood. I didn't play dress up or have tea parties or Barbie dolls. I had a boy in a suit and we'd run around pretending to be spies. That one though." I pulled up the picture of the girl walking away. It took a minute for me to figure out how but I eventually blew up the picture until you could just make out another body lying on the ground behind the girl. 

"So? Like you said, you played pretend spies in the park." One of them said confused but I was too lost in the memory to notice who. 

"You see a boy in a suit anywhere?" I asked. "I played soccer back then. This tree was next to the field and it became a community tree house that all the kids would play in during games when we weren't on the field. Until the parents started telling us not to. Until it became a danger to the community because a kid fell out of it and broke his spine. Until I kicked a kid away from me in that tree and he fell to the ground and died. And then I just walked away. Walked to my Bond's house and his mom gave me cookies. I didn't tell anyone what I'd done. Just left him there. Eventually the tree was torn down and everyone just assumed that the boy's death was an accident. No one ever knew that I was even there. No one else was there so this picture can't exist." 

"Wait, you were six? And you kicked the kid out of the tree so hard he died and no one figured it out?" Lab coat asked not believing me. 

"Do I need to break your chair again? I played soccer, I had strong legs. My being a demon ensured that he fell in just the wrong way and didn't get up. Add a little chaos to the whole situation and that I was everyone's favorite kid in the neighborhood and no one had any reason to look at me. It was the first time my power manifested in this life. And since I'm still in this life I can't exactly have pictures of me walking away from a dead body floating about." I practically shouted.

"That's the problem? Not that you killed the boy, but that there's evidence that can affect this life?" The Doctor asked and I couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling at this point.

"I've killed billions. Kind of part of the job description. Death doesn't bother me. I can kill maim torture and decimate all without blinking an eye. At six years old I did just that. Killed a boy and went for cookies. I'm a demon. But jail tends to be a bit unpleasant so yeah, I don't want the proof lying around." I said still angrily my hands balling into fists before turning to Jack. "Get rid of it. Delete it, lock it up, erase it's existence from everything you've got until such a time that it won't affect this body. After that, I don't care. This life is not on your radar until I'm dead and in a new body. This humans past will remain unknown."

"You killed a kid!" The Doctor shouted standing up his chair flying back to hit the wall. 

"It was self defense!" I shouted back. "He was trying to throw me from the tree! Not my fault I beat him to it!"

"But then you walked away." His voice got low and that seemed even more dangerous to me. But I knew this danger. I lived this, millennia of danger flashed through my head and I felt an eerie calm take over my body as I turned to fully face him.

"I walk away from a lot of deaths. Do you want me to feel bad about it? Turn myself in and let them do whatever they feel necessary to get justice? This kid was the first of this life, not the first I've ever taken. You're known as the destroyer of worlds Doctor. You've killed entire races and then walked away. You've been at it for nine hundred years and the only reason no one stops you is because the majority of the universe thinks it's for the greater good and the other part can't stop you. Nine hundred years and billions of life forms on just one planet. I've got eons on you. Take your body count and put in terms of my life. Worlds, civilizations, entire races wiped out for nothing more than my very presence and you want me to feel bad about on kid who was trying to hurt me?" My voice was shaking by the time I was done and I noticed my entire being was shaking as well.

"And I regret every life. I feel guilt over every death I've ever caused." He shot back, shaking too.

"And it kills you. The weight of your guilt if made corporeal would buckle you. And again you've only got nine hundred years to my millennia. If I felt bad about every life I'd ever taken it would destroy me and the universe along with it. I can't feel Doctor. My emotions are like a mask that I can pick up or put on a shelf. I don't feel happiness or sadness or guilt. I just don't care because I can't." I moved to the screen again and pulled up the files I'd seen of my casualties. Dozens of pictures of places burning, bodies scattered, destruction and chaos flew across the display. "This is me Doctor. This is what I am. All these places, all these people, gone because someone thought it would be a good idea to drop me in that place. You tell me now how I live with the guilt of all that weighing down on me."

"Then you don't. You die." He said grounding out through his teeth.

"I can't!" I shouted. "I die, I'm thrown right back in a new body. The powers that sent me here won't let me leave. I just die again and again and again. I live a full life but I never get a happy ending. I exist to keep the balance and yes I am the bad side of the balance. My very existence in this universe means that I am responsible for Chaos. I've tried just dying and taking myself out of the equation. I come back and as soon as I remember what I am I die again just to repeat the process. I can't be killed permanently. So I shut it off. I shut off the emotion and the guilt and I keep doing my job because there's nothing else I can do." There was silence for a few minutes as everyone took in what I'd said.  
"Do you know what it's like to look at your family and know they mean nothing? To have the knowledge that you could watch every one of them die and not blink. I have a three year old niece this life. She's the greatest thing I've seen in a long time. And I could snap her neck and walk away. You think because I don't feel the guilt of all the lives that I'm wrong or evil and should be punished. Well not feeling is punishment too."

"Doctor." Jack said quietly when a few more minutes had passed. I never took my eyes off the screen. I just kept starring at the pictures of destruction I'd pulled up. 

"Do what she said. Lock the proof away until she dies and then add it to her file." He finally said and I still wouldn't meet his eyes. I wouldn't move my eyes. Slowly I heard people leaving the room until I was alone and then I sat back down in front of the screen and kept going through my files. I tried to remember a good life. One where I didn't kill or hurt anyone. As I continued through the file it became more clear that I didn't have one. I had good lives sure, fun lives. I remembered laughing and joking and feeling actually happy but it was usually only when I was doing something bad. When I was killing or fighting or running. It was my nature. I wasn't good and I wouldn't be happy being good.

I sat there for a while longer before closing the screen and standing up. I'd sent the files to my computer after some more snooping knowing I wouldn't have time here to look through them all and I did want to look through them. I felt bad about my outburst but I knew it was necessary. I'd only told Hope about the boy in the park before and telling others was a bit therapeutic. I probably could have picked a better crowd to reveal it to though. Now I was going to have to worry if they'd come after me next and that was a whole mess of trouble this body probably couldn't handle. I made my way back to the main room the same way I'd come and just sat on the railing beside the TARDIS waiting for the Doctor or Jack or someone to notice me. 

"Could you really do it?" The Asian woman asked coming up to me carefully but staying out of arms reach. "Kill your niece."

"If I had to. It's not like I want to. She's really something else. Smart and funny and cute as can be and she knows it. She's three years old and has an ego to rival Jacks." This caused a chuckle from the woman. "But if I didn't have another choice, yeah. I could kill her."

"That must be awful. Knowing human emotion but not experiencing it. I couldn't imagine killing my own family." She came a little closer. 

"You wouldn't. For you the options are save your family, love them or die trying. For me, there are scenarios that could happen where killing them would be better than saving them. The human part of me kicks in and says I have to do what's best for them and then the demon will pipe up and say death is it. Now keep in mind that's just those scenarios. I don't feel attachments like you do. I care for my family but I don't know if its love. Everyone in my life is there for a reason and if I let someone in, let them get close to me and then they're threatened, nothing can stop me from saving them. If someone endangers those I've claimed as my own then I will tear apart anyone who even knew a whisper of the plan with my bare hands. I will take out entire armies to protect those that are close to me but if that isn't possible then I'll kill them just so they never have to go through it." I wasn't really paying attention to who I was talking to anymore. "I can kill my friends and family but it doesn't mean I want to."

"It's time to go. We need to get back before you're paged." I looked up to see the Doctor standing beside the woman his face completely blank. I couldn't read anything about him at that moment so I just nodded and hopped off the railing. 

"It was nice meeting you, you know before the drama." I said to the woman who chuckled and nodded before backing away. I glanced around and saw the others standing where they'd been when I got here. "Captain Jack. You see the Carazzi's again tell them I said hey." I turned to go and then turned back. "And Phillip owes me ten gold pieces."

"You got it Ms. Blake." He said a sad smile on his face. I didn't want to know why he looked sad, it probably meant I was gonna die on the way back home but I couldn't bring myself to care. I just stepped into the TARDIS, walked to the railing and held on. The Doctor slowly went about sending us back and neither of spoke the entire time. When I heard the landing thump, I turned and headed to the doors, walked into my living room, took the note off the door, and went to the couch. Still without a word, I sat for a minute then got up and opened the slider, smoked a cigarette and stared out into nothing. I could hear the Doctor behind me, studying me but he didn't speak so neither did I. When I was done, I went back inside, laid down on the couch, wrapped my blanket around me and just stared out the glass. After a few minutes of continued silence I heard the Doctor go back into his box. I sighed and rolled over on the couch so my face was buried into the cushions of the back and closed my eyes willing myself to sleep knowing full well I could wind up lying there for hours and not being any closer than I had been when I woke up that day.


	3. Apology Breakfast

When I woke the day to sunlight streaming in through slider I groaned. I hadn't expected to fall asleep and even though I knew I had I still felt like I hadn't slept in a week. The sun was actually a little painful to my eyes for a moment before they adjusted and I sat up. The couch cushions were halfway off the frame like they were every morning I slept there, my blanket was a tangled mess and I had to kick my foot to get it off me. I knew my hair was a mess but I didn't really care. It took me a minute to realize what had woken me up wasn't the sun but the sound of someone in my kitchen. Hope would be at work right now and she was allergic to eggs so there was no way it was her in there as I could smell omelets. My eyes went to the little window separating the living room from the kitchen to see the back of a pinstriped suit and crazy brown hair. I remembered what had happened last night as soon as I regained consciousness but the sight of the Doctor confused me. I hadn't expected him to be there even though the first thing I'd seen when I opened my eyes was the blue box. 

"What are you doing?" I asked my voice scratchy and full of sleep as I stood up and crossed over to him. He was placing the omelets on plates that already held sausages and hash browns. 

"I made breakfast." He said turning to me and handing me a plate. 

"Yeah. Why and where did you get it cause I know this wasn't in my fridge." I said watching him suspiciously my voice returning to seminormal.

"I had the stuff in the TARDIS kitchen. And I wanted to apologize. I overreacted." He said watching me with a similar blank look that he'd been sporting last night. This one was different though it was an almost hesitant blankness. I took a fork and went back to the couch giving him a look to say sit down and continue while I eat your peace offering. "Before I landed in your flat."

"Apartment. Flats are something completely different than this hole in this country." I interrupted and he nodded with a slight grin. 

"Before I landed here yesterday, I had a companion, well, she was more than that. She was my best friend. Donna was her name. She was, there's no good way to describe Donna. But something happened and I had to make her forget me. I had to remove myself from her life completely. She doesn't know who I am and she never can or it will kill her. What you said back at Torchwood about being able to do something horrible to the people close to you because you don't have another choice, I understand that. Wanting to do something and being able to are very different and I just needed some time to remember that. We really aren't that different." He spoke slowly and calmly like he was weighing each word to make sure he said it right.

"And how long have you been analyzing this apology to make sure you get it just right?" I asked raising an eyebrow and he scratched the back of his neck looking sheepish. 

"Since we got back." He admitted and I nodded.

"Well it sucks." I said and his head shot up looking shocked. "You forgot my coffee."

"Ah, right." He said jumping up and rushing back to the kitchen. He was back in less than a minute with a mug of coffee and one look inside showed he'd made it just the way I like. "I could smell the proportions yesterday." He explained I just nodded again and took a sip while he sat on the edge of the couch watching me like he was waiting for something or would jump back up at any moment.

"This is good. Alright. You're forgiven." I said and that manic grin crossed his face and I couldn't stop the smile that crossed mine. He relaxed and we ate the breakfast he'd made chatting about the different food and the best ways to cook it and the differences on various planets.

I don't know how it happened but sometime throughout our conversation we ended up back on the subject of musicals and were sifting through my collection while we listened to Wicked again. I would randomly start singing along under my breath and then quiet down again. We laughed and told stories about experiences we'd had with our favorite songs and shows. He seemed to pause every time I'd start singing but then pick up again as soon as I'd finished almost before I'd noticed. This happened about ten times before I really caught on and I stopped mid note and looked at him.

"Why do you keep doing that? Just because I'm mumbling words doesn't mean I'm not listening." I asked slightly irritated.

"I like hearing you sing. You have a lovely voice." He shrugged and I looked away a little embarrassed. I knew I could sing but still, something about this particular being saying I was good was a little more than my ego was used to. "I just wish you'd not do it under your breath so I can really hear."

"Ha, yeah but if you can really hear me then I won't be good anymore." I said jokingly and he shot me a condescending glare as if to say I'm obviously wrong. I rolled my eyes and got up to turn up the music so I'd feel more comfortable singing at a normal volume. I picked a song that I knew once I started I would forget about my nerves and just get sucked into the words. It took a few lines but then my plan worked and I ended up finishing off the song like I was born on Broadway or something. My brain wasn't exactly paying attention so it took me a minute to realize that the Doctor was grinning widely and standing in front of the couch clapping. I grinned back and felt a little bit of a blush forming so I turned back to the stereo to hide it.

"You think that's good you should hear me do one that actually means something to me." I said flippantly.

"Yes, do one of those." He said and I could almost hear him bouncing in excitement. I laughed and skipped through the disk.

"I should let you know, this one in particular will probably give you more insight into me than you were looking for when you asked." I said as I stopped pushing buttons. I took a deep breath and kept my back turned as I started singing again. I let myself get completely lost in the words, my voice filled with the emotion the words were trying to portray growling out or near choking with tears and then determination. I felt my body moving with the music too, not dancing but giving the music the added benefit of speaking with my motions as well. When I was done this time there was silence and I took the time to recompose myself, letting the music not necessarily leave me but locking it back up somewhere inside of me. I still refused to turn around as I didn't want to know the Doctors reaction to my rendition of No Good Deed. I felt a soft touch on my shoulder and my whole body tensed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His voice was quiet and there was nothing else that needed to be said. I took another deep breath and turned. His face was sad with years of regret and pain and I knew he understood the feeling I had with connection to that song.

"Hey, it happens when you're literally stalked by chaos. Anyway, how about something funny next?" I said quickly moving back to the disks we'd been looking through and randomly grabbing one and throwing it in to try and forget what had just happened. He stayed standing where I'd left him his face still sad but almost shielded now.

"Is that really what it's like for you?" He asked cautiously. I nodded.

"Even in this life, I can't do any good it seems. Karma seems to work backwards for me. I help someone and I get hurt. I broke my finger once helping my dad get firewood. I went along just to help him and a log he was throwing onto the trailer hit my finger wrong. He was so proud because I didn't cry once. He also laughed because I jumped off the trailer swearing up a storm and got several funny looks from the Amish guys that we were buying the wood from. And then he told me we couldn't go to the ER until we'd finished loading so I grit my teeth and went back to loading." I said smiling at the memory.

"That sounds more like bad aim and uncaring." He said still sounding depressed.

"Nah, that's just Dad. He didn't have the time to go back out there and he didn't force me to keep going, actually told me to take it easy while he and my brother finished up. But the faster we got it done the faster I could get scanned. It was an accident but it's not the only case, just the funniest. I had a shelf in the grocery store fall on my head one time because I got a toy for a kid off the top shelf. He was a kid he couldn't reach but I could easily so I grabbed it and handed it to him and he ran off. As soon as he was out of the aisle the shelf collapsed and the store was terrified I was going to sue or something because I was still trying to dig myself out from underneath it when they found me. I help, I get hurt. So I just don't anymore unless I can claim selfish reasons. If I'm being paid or getting something out of the act than I can help without a trip to the hospital." I tried explaining and he still seemed like he didn't quite believe me but was going to let it slide.

"So when is Hope coming back?" He asked letting the subject drop.

"I don't know. When she'd leave?" I asked moving back over to the couch.

"Early this morning. Five or so." He answered moving with me.

"Probably around two then." I said flipping through the CD's some more just to keep my hands busy. He nodded and was quiet for a moment again. 

"What are we listening to?" He asked suddenly and I took a moment to listen to what I'd put in and then burst out laughing. 

"It's Disney." I said and he gave me a one eyebrow raised questioning look. "You have to know Disney, it's crack."

"I don't know about that but I don't know of a musical called Disney." He said his face not changing.

"Not a musical. It's a mix of songs from Disney movies performed by various artists. Every song on here is from one Disney movie or another." He nodded at that and I kept chuckling as his head kept bobbing along with the beat. "How do you figure Disney isn't crack? It so is."

"Crack is a drug." He said like it was obvious.

"So is Disney. Think about it, they hook you young and then the rest of your life you're addicted to them. They create emotions and delusions and give you an incredible high and what's worse is that when you get older your need for it still hasn't gone away so you drag kids into it just so you don't feel stupid about being an adult watching cartoons hooking the next generation." I said and his eyes got wide like he'd just uncovered the secret of the universe.

"I should probably go meet Walt and make sure there's not something going on there." He said seriously.

"You'll do no such thing. Disney is Crack but it's amazing crack and the world would be a much darker place if we didn't have it. You leave my cartoons alone or I'll show you just how much crazier your life can be with my chaos added to your daily routine." I threatened and he gave me a calculating look before nodding in agreement with a grin on his face again.

"So tell me more about Hope." He requested after another couple lines from Pocahontas. I shook my head.

"Nope, I don't know what she doesn't want you to know. You got questions about her, ask her." 

"She's not here." He pointed out.

"Then wait until she is." I used the same tone he had and he sighed dramatically.

"I have a time machine that I travel around in constantly. What makes you think I can wait for anything?" He sounded like the fact that he had to ask that question made me the dumb one here.

"Not my problem now is it? You don't want to wait for her to get home then jump in your time machine and skip forward." He seemed to debate it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I wouldn't want to leave you by yourself for that long. And I'm guessing you wouldn't come with me based on your suggestion of waiting." The second part was more of a question than a statement so I answered.

"I'm still recovering from my last trip with you." I said giving him a look that said he really was that bad of a driver when he gave me offended eyes. He then grinned and nodded his agreement. 

"Yeah, but it was fun." This time I nodded. 

"Except for the drama there at the end," I reminded him slightly raising my coffee mug to indicate the need for an apology breakfast.

"Speaking of, don't think I didn't notice you sending those files out of Torchwood. I had the TARDIS keeping an eye on the systems while we were there." He was hinting and I knew it. It was my turn to sigh and I picked up my laptop. 

"It's gonna take a bit to load. There was a lot of information." I warned him, and he nodded like it was to be expected and he already knew. While I started up the computer I let my mind drift away into the music again. Sure, it was kids music but I found it fun and some of them were actually really good. I started singing 'I won't say I'm in love' from Hercules while we waited. The benefit of my doing so seemed to be the Doctor forgetting about the files for a bit while I sang. When the song ended and the files still hadn't loaded I started on the next song just to keep him distracted.

"Hey, this is the Lion King." He said smiling fondly. "My first world saving battle in this body I was giving a speech about the human race and got the words mixed up. Of course it really did fit what I was trying to get across."

"See, I told you Disney was good." I said grinning before letting the confusion cross my face. "This body?"

"Huh?" He asked the confusion on his face now too.

"You said the first fight in this body like you've had others." I repeated and he nodded his understanding.

"Yup, time lords have this ability to regenerate when we're close to death. Like your rebirth, all the memories but a different body." He explained and I nodded waving my hand to dismiss the comment.

"I knew that. I commented on it last night. I was asking how and when you wound up in this body. Sorry, I'm not used to talking to people who can't keep up with my half conversations." I was actually sorry because it meant that I was going to have to remember to actually complete thoughts which was harder for me than it should have been. 

"It's fine. Around Christmas a couple years ago in London was the battle. When the spaceship was over London." He said to try and give me a timeline and I shook my head again. "You missed that?"

"Might of heard something about it but I don't really follow the news." I told him shrugging.

"All of the worlds A positive blood types were perched on the rooftops and you missed it?" He asked not believing me for a second.

"I wasn't outside so I didn't see and again, I hardly watch TV at all and when I do it's not the news." I was a little frustrated that he didn't believe I had no clue what he was talking about. "Even if I had seen it, I still wouldn't remember how long ago it was. I can hardly keep track of the days of the week lately let alone something that happened around a Christmas somewhere on the other side of the planet." 

"I see your point. Anyway, I regenerated because I was saving my companions life. Something went wrong though and I ended up in a kind of healing coma. When I woke up to the invasion I was a new man. I was trying to figure out who I was and scare away the aliens at the same time. Needless to say it was highly impressive." He boasted his chest puffing up just a bit.

"Uh huh, I'm sure it was." My tone said I didn't believe him but was humoring him anyway but I was smiling so he didn't take it to personally. His face still fell just a little and he deflated a bit.

"It was." He sounded like a child and I thought it was adorable. "How many people do you know can save the world right after waking from a coma in a pair of borrowed jim-jams?"

"Off the top of my head?" I glanced at the ceiling like I was counting. "Five, myself included." 

"Really?" He asked his voice a little disappointed squeak and a pout on his face.

"To be fair I counted you as one of them to make the number bigger." I said patting his shoulder sympathetically. 

"That's cheating." He said perking up a bit, the gleam returning to his eye.

"I'm a demon. No one ever said I couldn't cheat. In fact it's expected." I pointed out and he just grinned at me. 

"How often do you wake from healing comas in borrowed jim-jams anyhow? And who are the others?" He asked after a moment, the   
questions bursting from him like he'd been fighting asking them and they burst from him without his permission.

"More often than I'd like to think about and Harley, you, me, my friend Reggie and the newly met Captain Jack who I don't really have proof can do it but I'm assuming he's woken up in stranger outfits." I held up a finger for each person as I listed through them. At the mention of Jack, the Doctor chuckled and nodded that I was probably right.

"Who's Harley?" He asked curiously.

"Harley is Hope's demon name. It's the one she uses throughout her lives. Hope is the one given to her by her parents this life. She prefers Harley though." I explained and he nodded his understanding this time. 

"What about you? Do you have different names?" His eyes said he was looking for more information than the question asked for but I wasn't going to give it. I remained silent and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"My other names aren't used anymore." I finally explained when it became clear he wasn't going to let it go. "Some have been lost to time and others just aren't relevant. My human name is only used by blood family and I'm not telling you any of them. The only reason you know Harley has two names is because she uses both regularly. I'm just Jack these days."

"Why won't you tell me your human name at least?" He asked cautiously. Again I got the feeling he was digging for information.

"What's your name?" I asked him simply and his face immediately closed up.

"The Doctor." He answered instantly and I scoffed.

"That's why I don't tell you my name. You know the power behind a name. Just having Jacqueline gives you more than you should rightfully have with that knowledge and you know the other two that go with it as well. I won't speak the names of those long passed who no longer reflect who I am out of fear of them coming back into me with the acknowledgement of the name. As for my human name, that's just more power than I care to give anyone I just met. Especially when they know what you do. I'll share mine when you give me yours." I bargained and he finally agreed after thinking it through for a minute. Finally, my computer let out a quiet beep to say that the download of my files was complete and I moved to sit closer to the Doctor so we could both sift through the information.

"Is Harley mentioned in any of these? Did you see when you were looking at the pictures?" He asked mocking me just a little as I sorted said pictures into a digital photo album and kept the actual written reports in a separate file. 

"I get more information out of the pictures than the words. I wrote most of them so I didn't need to really read them last night to find out what I needed to. And yes, she's mentioned a lot since she's with me most life times at some point or another." I informed him opening up one of the pictures I was shifting just to annoy him. In the picture I appeared to be some kind of wood nymph, tall and willowy with long flowing hair. On my shoulder was what appeared to be a small fairy. I blew the picture up so he could see the small woman better and sure enough there was even a resemblance to Harley now in the fairy. 

"How much detail on both of you is there in these files?" He asked when I went back to the reports and started skimming through them. He seemed to be doing the same thing and when I glanced at him it was to see his glasses perched on his nose again and him leaning closer to me to see the screen better. 

"Enough for anyone who knows what they're looking at to understand it but not enough that it doesn't just look like a work of fiction to the casual reader," I answered still watching him. He glanced up at me and it only occurred to me then how close we really were. He seemed to realize it too because he cleared his throat and sat back up at the same time I handed the laptop over and got to my feet quickly. "Feel free to browse. I'm gonna clean up the mess from breakfast."


	4. Torchwood Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! First author's note, thanks to everyone who has read this. I would appreciate feedback but, it's not necessary. Read and enjoy!

I had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and was dancing and singing along to another Lion King song when I heard it, a male voice that wasn't the song singing the lyrics. I casually walked to the hallway and stopped right on the other side of the corner and listened. Sure enough, the Doctor was singing and I jumped back around the corner with an excited shout startling him and making him jump. 

"You didn't tell me you sing too. Here I've been singing all on my own and you do it too!" I said excitedly pulling my computer away from him and putting it down before taking his hand and tugging him to his feet, dragging him over to the stereo. He had a confused look on his face that counteracted the grin on his lips as I skipped through to find another one from the Lion King that had multiple parts. I finally settled on 'I just can't wait to be King' and looked at him expectantly. He stayed silent for the first few lines. "Oh, come on. I sang for you. You can at least sing with me."

"Really?" He questioned me crossing his arms in a defiant stance. I nodded and restarted the song. He then gave another dramatic sigh with that same contradictory grin and started singing along. I let out a girly squeal when he suddenly raised his voice and threw out his arms to match the song like I had done earlier, throwing his whole body into the music. I was laughing when it was my turn so the first few words were off key and garbled but then I spun around in a full circle and got just as into the music running to jump up onto the couch and we were both belting out the lyrics. That was when the door opened and Harley stepped in a confused and startled look on her face as she took in the apartment and the guilty looking Doctor who had stopped as soon as he'd heard the click of the door unlocking. 

"Good day?" She asked shouting over the music and relocking the door. 

"Great." I responded hopping off the couch. "You're off tomorrow right?"

"Yeah, why?" She sounded suspicious as she looked between the Doctor and me. 

"No reason." I answered shrugging.

"That makes me feel so much better," she said her tone not even changing a little.

"Sorry, but I really didn't have plans for the question. I was just trying to remember what day it was." I told her and she relaxed knowing how I lost track of time and accepting the reason. She then turned to the Doctor who still looked guilty in the same place I'd dragged him to a moment before.

"You sing Disney?" She questioned conversationally. "I mean I know you stuck around for Wicked but I didn't take you for a cartoon guy."

"I didn't expect it of demons either." He commented "plus I've recently learned its crack." 

"It is." I shouted defending myself and Hope nodded her agreement as well. 

"Well don't let me stop you. I'm just going to go change. I'll be back in a minute. Have we already done 'Reflection'?" She asked as she headed to her room.

"Not yet. I can find it next," I shouted after her my eyes giving the Doctor a warning look. "Don't think you're stopping now. This is wind down time. You have to participate. Plus, if you think I'm good, wait until you hear us together. She's really good too and we have a tendency to subconsciously harmonize when we sing together so it comes out sounding really good." 

"You seem more confident about your voice now." He was giving me this newly calculating look as he spoke and I ignored it shrugging noncommittally.

"I had a Time Lord tell me I was good once. It kind of boosted my ego." I saw him grin again and the smile spread all the way to his eyes like he was pleased his opinion meant that much.

"What she's not saying is that while we harmonize we also bounce off each other." Harley said coming back into the room. "If we make a mistake the other covers it so you can't tell. It makes us near perfect." 

"Not that we're cocky or anything," I said moving back to the stereo and the Doctor and skipping through the disk again.

"Of course not," he agreed a fake serious look on his face. The music started and I glanced at Harley to make sure she was ready. She looked a little nervous but also excited about the promised childish dance party that was about to occur. We could never listen to Disney without dancing so the nerves were just because of our audience but my apparent ease helped calm her.

"After this we're doing 'Elephant fly'." I told her and she nodded knowing that the silly song was just to put her further at ease. The words started and the Doctor stayed silent as he listened to the two of us singing the song that held a special place in both of us. By the time we were done he was clapping again.

"You were right. You do sound fantastic." His compliment made Hope blush bright red before she joined me at the stereo and changed out the disk to get to the promised Dumbo song. When that one started we were both pleasantly surprised when the Doctor piped in too. After that it didn't take us long to get fully into 'wind down' mode. This meant Hope and I both took off to my room where we kept all of our 'dress up' clothes and started changing outfits and doing our hair and makeup. 

The Doctor followed us to see what we were doing and then quickly left again when he got an eyeful of me changing my pants and Harley changing her shirt. We both laughed and kept going. I was done first and quickly returned to the living room belting out 'Under the Sea' as I slid along the carpet making the Doctor chuckle as he mimicked Sebastian's voice making me laugh harder. Harley wasn't far behind me and we spent the next ten minutes turning our living room into a club around the TARDIS. We had black lights, purple Halloween lights, a couple candles to see by and glow sticks for each us. The Doctor wasn't even hesitant any more as he paraded around to 'the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room'.

Harley had collapsed on the couch to take a short breather as she wasn't too fond of this song. She was too busy laughing at the Doctor to get a good breath in though so he finally took pity on her and sat beside her. I grinned and headed to the kitchen to get us drinks and snacks so they could have the illusion of privacy for a moment. 

"I took a look at Jacqueline's files this afternoon." His voice was light like it was normal conversation but a quick glance showed they were both a little tense. 

"Don't let her hear you call her that. She hates going by the full name unless it's followed by the other two." Harley advised her tone doing the same thing as his. 

"Too late." I said loudly before sticking my head in the freezer for the ice cream. I vaguely heard a low chuckle but wasn't too sure as the music was still fairly loud.

"I wanted to ask if you would like to go to Torchwood as well to get a copy of your own files." He offered politely pretending he hadn't heard me. 

"Is that the nice enticing way of asking if you can look through my files too?" She asked him giving him a knowing look.

"I got enough random bits from Jack's files to clue me in on you so it would just be further clarification." He was rubbing the back of his neck guiltily and I got the feeling it was a nervous habit as I re-entered the room. 

"Feel privileged. He didn't tell me we were going for confirmation or my files. Just that his friend could help him understand what I am," I told her handing her one of the drinks in my hands and a bag of chips.

"I'll bet that went over well." She had another knowing smirk on her face and the Doctor was rubbing his neck again. He was going to rub it raw before the night was over if he kept doing that. "Who's this friend?"

"Captain Jack Harkness." As soon as I said the name her eyebrows shot up in shock.

"He's still alive?" She asked looking at the Doctor.

"You know him?" the both of us questioned at the same time. 

"I met him once about eighty years ago, my last life. He was with Torchwood then too." She had a look on her face that said it hadn't been a fond time. 

"He runs it now." The Doctor's tone alone told her that things were much different now.

"I made it in and out with relatively no damage." I told her and her face said that was more proof than the Doctors statement. 

"Sure, we can go to Torchwood." She said standing up again. 

"We don't have to go right now. We did just finish setting up your nightclub." The Doctor stood as well looking around our darkened living room fondly. "It's truly remarkable what you're able to do with so little. I'd make a comment about human ingenuity but you're not really humans so."

"We are right now. We just have the memories of a bunch of different humans that makes it easier to rig things and improvise." Harley told him her voice showing the same pride in his approval that I'd had. He beamed at her like he had me and then she darted over to the stereo and changed the CD again, skipping through quickly. I'd seen the flash of yellow that said she'd put in the pitch perfect sound track and knew she was headed for the riff off. I smirked and jumped to my feet just in time for the song to start and the Doctor jumped just a little before laughing hysterically and joining in. He quickly got lost when the song switched mid-line. He tried to catch up again and had just gotten it when the song changed again and he gave up just watching us instead. For our part, we put on a hell of a show turning the song into the battle it was between the two of us. We did two more mixed songs before going back to something he could keep up with. We ended up back on Disney but we switched to the laptop with speakers plugged in so we had access to the music we didn't have the CD's for.

About an hour later we were just about ready to wind down a bit and just happened to be on Aladdin's 'One Step Ahead' which the Doctor was gladly taking the lead on. I watched him smiling fondly as parts of the song were emphasized more than others telling me they meant more to him. I found it kind of wonderful that he connected to an orphaned thief who was running for his life stealing what he needed to survive. I bet there was more truth to the comparison than I actually knew about. Towards the end of the song he grabbed both Harley's hand and mine and practically threw us into the TARDIS with the last word. 

I fell to the grating rolling onto my back to avoid hitting Harley and laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes. I heard the music stop outside and knew the Doctor was making sure we were locked up so we could go visit Torchwood. Harley was grabbing her sides she was laughing so hard her eyes squeezed shut and gasping for breath. It wasn't until the Doctor came in that she calmed enough to take in her surroundings. 

As soon as she opened her eyes she sobered up. Her eyes got so wide I could just see the cartoon bulging of her eyes popping out of her head. She jumped to her feet and shoved past the Doctor to look out at the box and then back in. She squealed and ran to the console before running back to me and waving her hands around as words were beyond her now. I just nodded making her squeal again and run back to the console again. This time I followed her and sat her down in the jump seat just in case she blacked out like I'd predicted.

"Bi- bigger inside," she finally managed to stutter out falling back to slouch onto the seat.

"I should have bet on it." I mumbled turning to see a pleased look on the Doctor's face as he closed the door and came to join us.

"Much better," was his comment and I braced myself in front of Harley to keep her from falling when I saw him reach for the levers and switches. Sure enough a moment later she was thrown forward into me and I just barely caught her, keeping us both upright. There was more knocking around and she'd figured out how to brace herself when the landing bump came and knocked all three of us to the grating causing us to break into another laughing fit. We were still laughing when we herded out of the TARDIS and into the same subway looking place I'd been in last night. 

"Doctor?" came Jack's voice from over past the computers in an area I hadn't seen on my last visit. There was also a new woman standing there a confused but happy look on her face when I looked in their direction. 

"Jack!" He said fondly throwing his arms out like he was waiting on a hug and then turned slightly to the woman. "And Martha Jones. How are you Martha Jones? What are you doing at Torchwood?"

"I'm good. Their doctor is dead." She said simply, walking over to the Doctor and hugging him. "Who are your new friends?"

"Jack and Harley." He introduced looking back at the other Jack. "Sorry about Owen."

"It's fine," said doctor came ambling into the room as well buttoning up a shirt. "I'm only mostly dead."

"Well, that's a relief. At least you're not completely dead. Then all we could do is search your pockets for loose change." I said and everyone but Owen choked back a laugh. "What happened? You were alive last night?"

"Last night?" Jack questioned looking to the TARDIS and the Doctor and then nodding like he understood. "Over shot the time Doc, it's been a few months since you last brought her here."

"Oh." The Doctor at least had the decency to look a little sheepish at the miscalculation.

"Question stands. How'd you die? I mean you're still walking and talking so you're not dead dead. How dead are you?" I asked stepping forward as if I would examine him and he stepped back. Harley was laughing quietly behind me knowing what was coming next.

"Pretty dead. He has no pulse, doesn't breathe or heal injuries. He can't eat or drink anything because he doesn't digest. He's been steadily talking dead for just over a month now." Martha informed me a questioning look on her face. "Are you a doctor too?"

"Nope. Demon." I told her easily and kept walking towards Owen who looked nervous at my approach now. "Jack, Harley says she met you before. You guys should catch up and track down her files." 

"Harley? You're Harley's Jackie?" Jack sounded completely shocked.

"Hey! No one calls me Jackie and she's my Harley!" I sounded offended my eyes finally leaving Owen to swing onto Jack who was just grinning at me. I glared slightly and turned back to Owen.

"I'll have you know you're mine just as much mine as I am yours. We are engaged to be married in another ten years." Harley finally spoke.

"Well, that's disappointing. Your gay now?" Jack asked coming to stand looking down at Harley as he was considerably taller. 

"Lord no. We just decided if we're still single by then we'll marry each other for the tax benefits." She explained. "We're going to cheat with cabana boys on our honeymoon." 

"Makes sense." To Jack it made perfect sense and the Doctor gave a half nod half shrug in agreement as well. The others, as the other two women I'd met last time were present now too, just gave us odd looks. Ianto was still AWAL but the feint smell of coffee told me he'd be along before much longer. 

"Anyway, I still don't know how dead he is." My focus went back to Martha as she seemed to be the only one willing to indulge me.

"Why do you want to know?" Owen asked uneasily.

"I've never met a dead human who wasn't a ghost. I'm curious." My explanation didn't seem to make him happy though. "Would you tell me if I said I might be able to help?" 

"How? We've tried everything we can think of." Martha asked excitement and skepticism mixing in her voice. 

"Depends on how he's mostly dead." I answered and this time my eyes went to Jack who had a guilty and sad look and then back to Owen who had stopped buttoning up his shirt to show a large wound in his chest that looked like a gun shot that hadn't quite healed but stopped bleeding. "Oh."

"Oh? Oh what?" Harley asked me wondering what I had pieced together.

"Alien tech gone oops." She let out an accompanying oh and this time when I stepped up to Owen he didn't try to back away. I could hear the Doctor scolding Jack and Harley trying to mediate, Martha trying to find out about me from the other two women and Ianto finally making his appearance with a full tray of coffees. "So again, how dead are you?"

"Completely," Owen sighed, defeat filling his voice and slumping his shoulders.

"Bull." I said and he gave me a curious look. "You can't be completely dead. You're still talking which means there's still brain activity. What's interesting is that you're not breathing or bleeding. Oh, do you still bleed? Like if I broke your nose would it give out that pleasant gush with the satisfying crunch or just the crunch? But then you can't heal a broken bone so let's not do that. What about a cut? If I sliced open like your arm would it trickle or not? I mean there's no circulation with no heart beat so... Oh my God!! You can't have sex!!! "

"JACK!" I spun to see Harley giving me an exasperated look and varying degrees of horrified looks on the other faces around the area. 

"What?" I honestly couldn't understand why the others were so scared all of a sudden but it seemed to be directed at me.

"You're doing the creepy ramble dear." She informed me and I looked back at Owen as if to confirm it. He was hiding both his arms behind his back. 

"But I'm curious. His heart's not beating so how are his muscles getting the nutrients needed to support him and he hasn't breathed since we got here so how is his brain getting the oxygen needed to keep functioning. If he's not eating or drinking he should be malnourished and dehydrated. So why is he seemingly perfectly healthy with open wounds and no pulse?" My rant seemed to make the others realize why I should be so curious.

"We just assumed it was the gauntlet doing it." Jack finally answered and I gave him a look as if to tell him to continue. "But when we destroyed it he kept going."

"So not the tech. And it never occurred to any of the Doctors in this room that something was up? I mean she's right. The human body can't do this for extended periods." Harley pointed out coming to stand beside me. 

"I didn't know." The Doctor raised a hand like he was excused from the accusation.

"Of course we figured something was up. We've been trying to figure out what for a while now." Martha defended herself moving to stand beside her patient. 

"Does it matter? You know what caused his death and resurrection. Does it matter why he's not dying again? You should be focusing on making him alive again not killing him." This seemed like the obvious solution to me and I wasn't sure why it wasn't for the others.

"And I suppose you know how to do that?" Owen sounded defensive too at my tone.

"Well, when I die, I just restart my heart." I told them like it was still blatantly obvious.

"Well, not all of us are able to be reincarnated any number of times." He argued back and I glared a threat at him that made him slide just a little behind Martha who also tensed up.

"She's not talking about that. She's talking about restarting your heart." Harley stood closer to me and I realized we were all moving to defensive stances like we would break into a fight at any time. I was pleased to see the Doctor on our side but a little upset to see Jack, who I was a little fond of, standing unsure in between the two groups. We were still helplessly outnumbered but a quick calculation said we were still bound to win even without the Doctors help as long as he wasn't against us. 

"Yes, because it really is that simple." Martha scoffed.

"Why not?" I asked. "Works for me." 

"What are you talking about?" The Asian woman asked finally joining the conversation from her place beside Owen. 

"I have a habit of dying. Pretty regularly actually. I still talk, walk, breathe but it doesn't last longer than a few hours before I restart my heart. It's this bodies way of coping with the stress I put on it from time to time." I was only paying half attention as I jerked forward and grabbed Owen's arm tugging him forward to examine the broken finger on his hand. "Have you tried willing your heart to beat? Your brain is still working so if you just send your heart a signal to beat it might at least get the blood pumping long enough for you to get some circulation and body heat to go with it."

"Yes, I've tried that. I am a doctor, I know how the human body works." He had a condescending tone as he tugged his arm back to himself. 

"Well, if you're gonna be rude I'm not going to help you." I said crossing my arms.

"Are you saying you have a solution?" Gwen asked also stepping forward and there were various excited looks around the group.

"Some kind of demon thing?" Jack asked hope filling his voice.

"No. But yes a solution. Any demonic solution would either have no effect, make it worse, or change him at a molecular level turning him into a demon." I answered and even the Doctor looked confused and interested.

"You're going to have to lay it out." Harley told me when no one said anything else. I looked to her knowing she knew where my thoughts were at. I then realized she was the only one present who knew me well enough to do that. 

"Right, okay, so the problem is that you are dead. Your heart isn't beating but your brain is still working. If we can at least get your heart beating again the occasional reminder to take a breath will make you mostly alive rather than mostly dead. So you just need a pacemaker." I said simply and there was shocked silence around the room. 

"That could actually work. It treats the symptom not the disease but you've already proven having a mostly dead guy can be useful. If we could just get you to heal on your own we might not have to heal the dead issue." Martha finally admitted.

"Well, I doubt a pacemaker would actually work." The Doctor said making me shoot him a glare.

"Who's side are you on again?" He shrugged and held up a hand to tell me to wait. 

"Not one from this century. Of course there are some devices with similar effects on more advanced planets that would work. But the one I think would work best if my calculations are right, which they are, only works for a short period of time before shutting off to recharge itself and then starting again." He finished. 

"And do you happen to have one on you?" Jack asked slyly.

"Unfortunately, no. They're highly regulated and I haven' t been able to get my hands on one. Something about needless waste for tinkering purposes when there are people who actually need them. But if Owen came with me to pick one up we could get it by the end of the day." He seemed really excited about the idea of getting his hands on that device. Martha noticed too.

"If Owen's going then so am I. I'm his primary doctor and I need to be sure there's no useless tinkering before you install an alien device in his chest." Martha informed him and his face looked disappointed and offended.

"But you said it only works for short amounts of time." Owen questioned. He seemed hesitant to get his hopes up.

"It's has a self-sustaining power source. It will go offline to recharge and then reboot when it's done." The Doctor clarified.

"So if he were to just turn it on to say eat and digest and then turn it off again he could preserve the power so he could use it for longer periods to say heal his broken finger?" I asked and the Doctor thought about it for a minute before nodding.

"I don't think they come with that option but it could potentially work that way. We'd just have to find a way to attach said switch. And then there would have to be a way to hide it because we can't have everyone on this planet knowing about that level of technology." He seemed stumped by this problem and Harley was hopping excitedly distracting him.

"IRON MAN!" She finally shouted and even I gave her a funny look. "The arc reactor in his chest keeping the shrapnel from his heart. Owen's will just be a power switch and he can stash it under his shirt."

"That's brilliant!" The Doctor beamed and Hope blushed again but was too excited at her thought to let it stop her hopping. 

"So there you go. Solution for the mostly dead guy, reunion of two sets of timeless friends, and Doctors curiosity temporarily satisfied with Hope's files and a new project. All after a random show tune party where I actually got the Doctor to sing and Dance. It's been a busy afternoon. Where's that coffee I smelled earlier?" I asked looking around for Ianto who stepped forward grinning broadly at me.

"You got him to sing?" He asked handing me a mug that I took gladly.

"To Disney." I clarified grinning as the room burst into laughter and the Alien blushed as brightly as Harley had a moment ago.


	5. Eyes

"Right, well, we should be on our way then. Don't want Owen to start decaying while we just stand about here talking about my singing ability," the Doctor rambled on shifting from foot to foot and glancing at his TARDIS like it was the escape he was looking for. The only difference was this time he was taking the thing he wanted to escape from with him. I smiled broadly and took Jack's arm leaning in conspiratorily. 

"Did you know he actually has a very lovely voice? I've only heard him sing cartoons but he really gets into it. I had him dancing and everything back at my place." The Doctor glared at me when Jack's eyebrows shot up and he gave the time lord a look that said he was going to have to prove I wasn't lying at some point.

"Fascinating, really, but I'm with the Doctor. If there's a chance I can heal this hole in my chest, I'd rather do it sooner rather than later," Owen grouched as he took a step towards the TARDIS door. He stopped suddenly and looked at the blue box warily. "Is it going to allow me on board?"

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't she let you on board?" Harley asked patting the door lovingly and looking between the Doctor and Owen confused. 

"She tried to throw Jack off of her once mid vortex. Thankfully he can't die because it killed him." It was Martha who explained smiling fondly at the Captain. "That's how we met." 

"Well, I don't see how she'd have a problem with Owen. Jack can't die, it makes him an anomoly. Owen is dead. It'd be like having a stuffed doll sitting in there rather than something abnormal." I shrugged and could feel more than see the quiet laughter shaking Jack's shoulders. I was betting I was the only one who knew he was laughing though I couldn't be sure because the glare on Owen's face got harder when he looked at us. 

"She should be fine." The Doctor answered stepping over to the TARDIS and opening the door. "Who all is coming?"

"Well, Owen has to go and Martha is going as his primary. Do you trust leaving Harley and I here?" I almost started laughing when the Doctor started rapidly shaking his head.

"I wouldn't leave you even if I did trust you. You said it yourself, chaos follows you and Torchwood isn't exactly jeopardy free to begin with." He apparently felt the need to explain why he wouldn't leave us and it made me smile. 

"So we're going," I finished. 

"I don't want to miss this." Jack looked to Gwen, Tosh and Ianto as if to ask if they'd be okay without them for a bit.

"I want you home by Tuesday. That gives you a nice long weekend." Gwen's voice mimicked something between a mother and a   
wife perfectly and I was betting she filled that role regularly in this group. Ianto was apparently a little more than the coffee boy as he gave Jack a lingering hug before stepping back to go clean up the mugs with a parting,"bring him back in one piece this time. Last time we had a hell of a time finding his toe after he grew a new one."

"You are so telling me that story later." I nudged Jack excitedly as we both jumped forward to rush into the TARDIS.

"Only if you tell me more about Damian Carazzi." He bargained and I nodded grinning wickedly. "So where is this planet we're off to, Doc?"

"In the Grenfuid system. About six million light years from here. We're also going to need to jump forward about three years to get to the devices invention." The Doctor was distracted as he bounced around the console. "I'm hoping that if we get there early enough they won't turn me down as they won't know that I just want to tinker with it." 

"Or we get there at any point and we go in and ask for it." Martha motioned between herself and Owen.

"They aren't the most friendly of species. Very tall willowy type people with a mean whip like slap," he responded shuddering a little at the thought.

"We could go with them. I remember that species from a past life. Our names should still be legendary there. They'd be safe." Harley offered and I took a moment to think of the description the Doctor gave of the people. 

"Are they kind of varying shades of pastel purple with the lighter the tone the higher ranking the being?" My question was met with a shocked and pleased nod from Jack and the Doctor.

"They're purple?" Owen sounded like he didn't quite believe his salvation was going to come from a purple alien. 

"Yup." the Doctor answered popping the 'p' and grinning at us. I grinned back.

"Yeah, they'd be safe." I sounded just a bit cocky and it made the Doctor's smile slip. 

"Why are your name's legendary there, again?" Martha was the one to finally ask.

"I'm a Bringer of Havoc and she's my Chaos demon companion. Why do you think they know who we were?" I sounded just a bit condescending and even she tensed up a bit at the idea of us tagging along. 

"Who you were?" Jack was the one to ask this time. 

"That particular life I didn't really care about saving life so much as saving my own skin. There were some things that happened and I wasn't keeping the balance of the universe that life. I was what my name says. Since then I've rediscovered balance and don't participate in quite as violent activities." I tried to explain and when they still didn't seem to trust it Harley tried.

"She was throwing a temper tantrum big enough that the demons that put us in this universe would hear her. She hasn't had a tantrum in a few decades so while her temper will be remembered she won't actually have to do anything. As for me, I was helping the tantrum because the reason for it pissed me off too. This time, if she does step into her demon personality too much, I can pull her back." 

"You talk about the demon like it's a seperate being. I thought you were the demon?" The Doctor seemed to be debating a lot of questions at once so I took a breath and tried to answer. 

"They are and I am. It's both. Humanity can't handle the purity of a demons thought processes though. It's animalistic, primal. I can be cold and calculating but I can also feel a rage like nothing humans have a word for. The closest sensation is 'seeing red' but worse than that. Since I am human I have to seperate them, keep the primal urges and thoughts locked away in the back of my head and only dip into it occasionally. It still leaks out into my humanity but it's more like I just have a bit of a crooked moral compass than anything else unless I unlock the demons box." He nodded like he understood but was still debating something. 

"What was the tantrum about?" Jack questioned cautiously like he was afraid of causing one by asking. I felt myself freeze up, my eyes go blank of all emotion and Owen suddenly looked more alive than I did. My jaw clenched and my fists balled up as I finally closed my eyes to hide the moisture that was suddenly there. 

"Eyes." I felt Harley's hand on my shoulder as she answered for me, sadness filling her voice. I knew someone was going to ask more and I turned my back on the whole lot of them and stepped over to the railing, bracing myself on it for the conversation.

"Eyes is a man. I don't know his name or what he looks like. Just his eyes. He was the love of my lives for centuries. He was killed, painfully, slowly and brutally to send a message to me from our home universe. They sent someone in for him alone and pulled them back before I had a chance to get my hands on them. So I took it out on the purple people, their entire galaxy felt my pain and rage." I waited a moment to see if there were anymore questions and then turned back around, my eyes hardened and blank. 

"So yeah, they'll be safe. We might be slaughtered on sight if we're not careful about timing though. We may need more than three years to make sure we're nothing more than a myth."  
The Doctor nodded and went back to flipping switches on the console. Surprisingly, there wasn't a horrible rocking around and the silence was just starting to get to me when Harley burst out with, "disguises!" 

"Huh?" Martha was the first to react to the outburst.

"I don't know about you but when I'm pretending to be a galaxy destroying alter ego, I don't do it in this shirt." She pointed to her holey batman t-shirt and I laughed at her before glancing down at the tiny blue sundress I'd wound up in during our dance party. 

"Do we have time to swing by our apartment and change?" I questioned the Doctor who was also smiling again. 

"Really? Do we have to?" Owen whined and the Doctor scratched the back of his neck.

"You could always try the wardrobe room. I'm pretty sure it'll have something that'll fit you both," he offered and Martha squealed, Jack clapped his hands together excitedly and Owen, Harley and I jumped. Then we were both being dragged off down a corridor.


	6. Disguises

As soon as the dragging finally stopped it was to Martha and Captain Jack flinging open a set of doors and stepping back like they were presenting a throne room. Harley and I stepped inside and immediately froze. We were completely still long enough for us to glance at one another, grab the others hand and then take off into the room. She ran down the spiral staircase while I circled it and then headed up. Without really realizing I'd done it, I'd grabbed a pointed witch's hat and was rifling through another rack two levels away from where I'd found the hat. I heard Jack and Harley's laughter just before I heard Harley's voice.

"Jacky, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once instead of flying off the handle?" She was mocking Wicked and I gave her a confused look before seeing the hat on my head in a mirror she was standing by and I grinned. As if on cue, music started filtering into the room and I grinned before grabbing a black robe and throwing it around myself and beginning to sing. She laughed with me and then began singing with me.   
At some point we'd separated and I was another level above the others, the words of the song bursting from me and Harley while we both leaned over railings and climbed up on racks and shelves until we were as high as we could get. When the song ended, Harley vaulted at Jack who caught her easily and spun her around before putting her feet on the ground laughing. I just climbed back down and rejoined them calmly like I hadn't just broken into song. 

"You're turn." I told Martha and Jack taking the hat off and placing it on a random coat rack my face entirely serious. 

"What? You want us to sing?" Martha sounded like she was praying I was joking and I just crossed my arms and waited. She glanced around and then her eyes looked relieved. "Owen, did you hear?"

"We heard. The TARDIS apparently felt like the performance deserved to be seen and heard. She's had it projected on every monitor in the console room and has apparently rerouted the ships intercom so you could be heard from everywhere along with the music at the same time." He seemed to be unsure if he wanted to smile and laugh with the rest of us or run away again before he had to do a number.

"Really? What'd you think? If I'd actually realized she could do things like that I would have seen if she could actually turn off the gravity but that was fun too." Harley had a contemplative look on her face and she started to rise off the ground just a little before she shrugged and said "next time" and her feet reconnected like it'd never happened. 

"Hello? I'm still waiting for the next number, and since your here, you can join in rather than just standing around like a corpse." I was rifling through a rack again by the time i was done and missed Owen's glare. I found a dress and pulled it out showing it to Harley, my eyes flashing to Martha. Harley grinned and took off while I turned to Martha.

"Bit dressy don't you think?" Martha must have missed the glance as she seemed to think I was debating the dress for me.  
"Probably. Put it on anyway so I can see." I told her and she gave me a shocked look. One pointed look in return and she was taking the dress. Harley was back in time for her to step out again and was placing a miniature Victorian era top hat with attached veil on Martha's head carefully and handing her matching lacy gloves to put on as well. Next we saw Jack come up with a pair of heels so the dress didn't drag a mischievous look on his face. 

"I'm so getting you back for this" she warned him. 

"Honey, long as I've lived there's not much I haven't worn." His response made me smile and Harley snort.

"There's not much you have either." She informed us and I laughed as the grin on Jack's face turned lecherous and he waggled his eyebrows. We could just begin to hear a soft music begin to flutter into the room that Martha seemed to recognize as she grinned and started moving her skirts to mimic a waltz as she approached Owen. Then she was singing the opening lines to Sweeney Todd's 'A Little Priest'.   
At first Owen was looking at her with a horrified confused look before he caught on and continued to glower but sung the part of the demon barber anyhow. When it was actually time for him to sing, he gripped Martha and actually danced with her in circles around the wardrobe room as they went. Martha stopped suddenly and grabbed a black shapeless robe off a hanger and a white tie placing it around the neck to imitate a priest with the first 'pie' mentioned. Then she put it back and moved on to the next random item in the wardrobe that she could reach and then the rest of us were off in search of outfits that would match the pies and bringing it to them as they continued to waltz around the room. By the time the song was over we had a big enough pile of random items piled up that the both of them just kind of collapsed onto it in a giggling heap with scarves jumping into the air to flutter onto their heads while we were in tears from laughing.   
Harley had disappeared at some point and when she returned it was with a long cape covering most of her body and a mask covering one half of face. Music began again again but this time it wasn't Broadway, well, it was Dee Does Broadway's rendition of 'Music of the Night'. While she kept them entertained I headed off to find my own outfit. Since I had a very specific look in mind for my part in the purple people pacemaker plan, try saying that a few times fast, it took me a little longer to get ready so that by the time I was dressed, Harley had just finished. I broke into 'Tough Lover' from Burlesque strutting around the group in a pair of painted on leather pants, six inch heels, a vynal black halter and gloves on my hands running up to just above the elbow with the fingers missing. A black leather hat cocked sideways on my head finished off the outfit.   
The group clapped and whistled by the time I was done and I grinned returning to the vanity I'd seen at some point to find make-up and accessories. Harley went off to find her own outfit, Martha changed out of her dress and Owen made his exit a little quickly trying to get away from another musical number. Martha followed him once she was changed. I waited by the door while Harley finished up when I was done. I hadn't seen Jack leave but that didn't mean he hadn't. When Harley made her way back to the door it was in a cute tutu like skirt, long trench coat, low cut top and a similar miniature top hat on her head, this one missing the veil. 

"Going Mad Hatter today are we?" I questioned grinning at the striped stockings and low heels. The height of her heel compared to mine and our height difference to begin with had me having to look down farther than normal to meet her eyes as the top of her head was just above my shoulder. 

"Figured it'd help with the recognition after seeing your outfit." She informed me still grinning madly. I wasn't really sure why she was smiling like that until I heard a throat clearing in front of me and I looked up to see Jack in a naughty Mrs. Claus outfit that had me choking in laughter, heels included. 

"Oh my god, you are so going like that." I said when I could finally breathe again. He just grinned a little wider. 

"Think it'll satisfy Martha's need for revenge?" He asked picking up his army trench and handing it to me. I threw it on just to keep it out of the way and with my new height the bottom was safely kept from dragging the ground. 

"I think it's a start." I told him grinning before I leaned forward to whisper to them both and then head back to the console room.  
When we got back, Jack waited in the hallway. The TARDIS started playing music again as Harley and I jumped into the room making the inhabitants jump. The Doctor was the first to join in on our rendition 'Today 4 U' from Rent. At the introduction of Angel, Jack entered the room, his voice squeaking and a hip cocked out in a wonderful drag pose. Martha and Owen fell to the floor in their laughter and the Doctor could do nothing but stand there staring, so Harley and I started the accompanyment for him. The Doctor came to first banging on the railings in time to the music, at which point Martha gained her feet and the five of us were banging out the beat as Jack moved over to circle Owen and Martha, Owen still being on the floor.

"It's a good thing your dead, I think you'd have blacked out from your utter lack of oxygen by now." My tone was halfway amused as I looked down on Owen, handing Jack his trench back. He didn't bother changing back, just slid on his coat and leaned up against the railing. Owen, who had just been getting himself back under control, took one look at Jack and then burst out laughing again. Martha had her cell out and was taking a picture.

"This is going straight to Torchwood," she said and Jack tensed like he wanted to stop her but one look said she'd already sent it so he just sighed, shook his head and glanced at the Doctor as if asking for help. For his part, the Doctor sent a look back saying you did this to yourself. 

"Well, time to go. Now remember, just get this," he handed Martha a piece of paper, "and get back out. Don't wait around, don't wander off and don't get into any trouble. I'll be monitoring you from the TARDIS just in case."

"Yes, Dad." Harley quipped rolling her eyes and skipping over to me.

"Off to see the wizard to get the dead man a heart?" I asked taking her arm and holding the other out to Jack. "I'd ask if you'd want to ask for courage but with that outfit, I think your good." He grinned and took my arm heading for the door behind Martha and Owen. 

"Wait, you're going like that?" The Doctor asked stopping us all in our tracks. Martha choked back another laugh at Jack's 'what's wrong with this' face and Owen just turned away again so he wouldn't break into another fit that would hold us back longer. 

"Never mind."

"Come on, you and I both know we need some kind of guardian Angel with us." I pointed out and the Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"And what am I then?" he questioned.

"Back up." I said simply. "If our plan starts to go south then you'll be there to come in with your legendary reputation and break us out. This leaves Mrs. Claus to be the necessary muscle since Harley and I are limited to cheap tricks in these bodies, she's human and he's dead."

"Fine." The Doctor pouted after a moment agreeing that I had a point and letting us go. Jack just grinned again and we started off again.


	7. The Pacemaker Maker

The Doctor had parked us just outside of a building that looked like some kind of hospital or laboratory, which made sense as the purpose of the building was to invent and manufacture new ways of healing the sick. They were supposedly the second best in the universe. The first being a race of Cat Nuns that the Doctor insisted weren't as good as they claimed to be but wouldn't go into it any further than that. It was a good sized building for the planet. To us humanoid creatures it maybe seemed a bit larger than normal but considering the locals were at least four inches taller than me in these shoes and I stood at a good six foot four inches it wasn't all that unusual. I was the first to take a step towards the building. My name was the one that brought chaos, the more feared of Harley and I, which meant I was the leader of us.

Jack could have gone first but I'd already said he was the muscle so he couldn't be the leader too, at least not on this planet. Martha could have gone as the actual doctor among us but she didn't know the planet or people so she didn't have the knowledge. I didn't necessarily remember it either but I had the benefit of them being too afraid of me to bitch about my social fauxpas. I took a deep breath and then stepped into the building. A blast of air hit me in the face and I was glad my hair was styled to be messy as it would have destroyed any other 'do. A glance at Martha's usual spike up-do proved me right. Half of it was now falling out and she just took the whole thing down and ran her finger through her hair to flatten it out. The benefit being she looked a little more like what the professionals around here looked like, except for her skin of course. The doctor's here were an almost pastel lavender with the nurses being three shades darker. Martha's dark skin tone would have been a problem for her if she wasn't from a different planet and wasn't looking to settle here.

A white rounded podium with a dark purple man in a golden toga stood in the middle of the hall we'd stepped into and I approached him remembering the man was the equivalent of customer service. He didn't look at us as we approached and I glared a little, knowing he was purposely ignoring us. As he was a dark purple, there weren't many people that he was socially superior too so I was betting he took advantage any time he could and since we weren't even purple he thought that made him better. I was going to have issues with that if he kept it up.

"Excuse me, we're here for a Pro-Pranthean heart facilitator. Could you tell us where to go to get one?" Martha asked politely when I motioned her towards the man. She was reading off the paper the Doctor handed her and seemed very pleased with herself when she managed to get it all out.

"Names and reason for needing said facilitator?" The man questioned sparing a curious glance at Martha before staring away again. His voice was bored like he wasn't really interested but the fact that he'd asked for the reason said he was.

"Martha Jones. I'm the patients primary physician. This is Owen Harper, the patient." She introduced and even she was getting a little frustrated.

"Why does the patient need a heart facilitator?" The man asked in that same bored tone.

"They are strictly regulated and no unauthorized persons may be in possession of said device."

"You are not a doctor, nurse, or medical practitioner of any kind. You're an information agent. Your only purpose is to provide us with information, not gain it yourself." I'd finally had enough and said as much with not just my voice. He finally took a real interest and glared down at me like he would say something scathing to me in retaliation.

"And who are you?" He questioned his voice changing to an annoyed bored. The people of this planet didn't have a lot of emotional range so they pretty much sounded bored no matter what. The annoyance in his voice was actually just about level with my own when considering that.

"Jacqueline Kyros Blake. This is my companion Harley Quin and Captain Jack Harkness, a warrior from the planet Christos Masses in case you weren't familiar with him." I spouted out and watched as Jack tried to hide his grin behind a grimace at the man. I was struggling to keep a straight face myself.

"Jacqueline Kyros Blake and Harley Quin were destroyed generations ago. Who are you?" This came from a new voice and I turned slightly to see an almost white woman walking towards us. She was just tinted purple saying she was very high ranking in this world. A slightly darker and younger girl walked beside her with a clipboard and glasses perched on her nose watching us carefully. The first woman seemed more intrigued than anything.

"We are demons. Beings beyond your universe. What makes you think we could ever be destroyed? And you would be?" I questioned my tone lightening a little as the urge to start giggling left enough that I could at least speak without difficulty.

"The Pro-Prantheon Heart Facilitator's inventor and guardian. I've heard stories of your companion and yourself in my youth." She said before turning to Jack and looking him up and down.

"I've also heard of you warrior Captain. A formidable adversary." Jack was fighting not to smile again as the woman seemed wary of him even in his Santa skirt and he sent her a nod of acknowledgment. The woman's eyes went to Owen and Martha and then back to us again. She seemed to be debating something and motioned the younger woman forward. She approached Owen and he backed up to stand beside me. I put an arm in between them and glared at the older woman while the younger one cowered before me.

"She was merely going to perform an examination to see if the device was needed. As you were told, they are highly regulated." She had a tone in her voice that said she was hiding something and I felt my anger skyrocket again. A wind blew through the room to rival the blast that had hit us when we entered as Harley took my hand and we both glared.

"If you are doing any examinations it will be in a proper facility, not your damn lobby and you will get the permission of the patient and his primary physician first. Do I make myself clear?" I said dangerously low, but another cheap trick had my voice bouncing off the walls to sound like it came from everywhere at once. The younger woman and the information agent fell away from me and the older woman staggered back in the force of the wind, her eyes wide in terror. Whe she was done nodding frantically, Harley released my hand and the wind died. When I spoke next it was back to normal.

"Well? Will we be going to an examination room or did you just want to hand over the device and let us be on our way?"

"I can't just give it to you without confirming a need for it. I would lose my funding and then be unable to create more or continue my research in other fields." The bored in her tone was nearly completely overshadowed with apprehension and I grinned.

"Examination room then. Lead the way." Harley piped up gesturing for the woman to move and we'd follow.

"My assistant will go see if there's any available." Again I got the feeling she was hiding something but ignored it as the younger woman took off. A moment later she returned and whispered something to the inventor who was nodding. Before she'd even turned back to us I could hear the sound of the TARDIS engine's phasing into existence behind us.

"It's the Doctor. Thank goodness. He may be just as destructive but he at least usually he is trying to help."

"Jack, I got a distress signal. Everything okay?" The Doctor questioned popping out of the TARDIS and coming to my side. I smirked at the alien and turned back to the group of purple ones who were slowly trying to make an escape.

"Fine. It seems our hosts were a little frightened a minute ago." The Doctor rolled his eyes at me and looked to the huddled group as well.

"You see, I covered my bases. I'm trying to help someone for once but being a bringer of havoc makes it a bit tricky. I didn't want to blow up your facility, or planet for that matter, without meaning too, so I called in some backup. Like you said, his explosions are usually helpful. He came along to balance out my chaos, not stop me. Now do you actually have an exam room ready or are you going to try and call in more of my backup?" There was silence for a minute while the woman studied me and the group around me, trying to determine if I was lying. The Doctor was standing at my side opposite Harley, blocking Owen further just in case things got ugly and Jack scooted closer to Martha and the dead man for the same reason. She apparently decided I wasn't bluffing and motioned for us to follow her. We all stayed a safe distance back with Jack and Harley taking the lead and the Doctor and I bringing up the rear to try and make the inventor and her assistant a little more comfortable and cover our backs in case she was fibbing again and stalling for time.

"The warrior from Christos Masses?" The Doctor's voice was low so only our group could hear and Martha let out a small chuckle in front of us.

"I couldn't think of anything better to explain his attire. It worked didn't it? No one wants to admit to being ignorant of other cultures." I used the same low voice he had trying to hide the smirk on my face when our guides turned around to glance at us.

"Only she'd heard of him before." Owen pointed out, "so your bluff didn't really work."

"Yes it did. She was bluffing the bluff. She'd heard the name but couldn't place it. Probably didn't even connect him to the Doctor until he showed up if she did at all. And hardly anyone in the universe knows where he actually comes from." I heard Harley whisper back to us slowing down just a bit to avoid being overheard.

"This room should do. I took the liberty of finding a room large enough for all of you to be present. Was it safe to assume you would not wish to wait separately?" The younger woman was looking at the Doctor with reverence as she spoke. I envied that look just a little. I got fear while he got reverence for doing the same stuff. Okay, so from their point of view, I destroyed and he helped but still.

"Yes, this should be fine." The Doctor swept past all of us into the room, sonic screwdriver in hand as he scanned various devices and stared studiously at it with his glasses perched on his nose.

"What are you examining for exactly?"

"The condition and compatibility of the patient to determine if a device is necessary and would achieve the desired results." The inventor informed us while she put on a lab coat and some gloves that matched her assistants skin tone.

"Will the patient please take a seat and describe why a Facilitator may be needed?"

"My heart's not beating. Your device will make it work again." Owen was his usual snarky, slightly grumpy self as he sat on a chair the Doctor pointed to that looked suspiciously like the ones you'd find in a dentist office on Earth. The woman turned to him a confused look in her eyes.

"You are human are you not?" She questioned and he nodded.

"Human life is driven by their hearts. How are you alive without yours beating?"

"He's not." Martha answered this time her tone more annoyed than I'd heard her be before. Apparently she didn't like a strange doctor asking questions about her patient.

"Can your device make a human heart beat or not. That's all we need to know."

"I would need to know the circumstances that led to his condition to know if there would be any adverse reactions. Knowing the details of his continued existence without life would help to determine compatibility as well." She wouldn't look at any of us but Owen now as she stared at his chest intently like she was examining his insides through his clothes, or like she wanted to slice him open and examine him that way. I suddenly understood Martha's annoyance. This woman honestly thought she was going to get to experiment on Owen because she had something we wanted. The Doctor apparently caught on too.

"Heh." He scoffed revealing the woman's bluff.

"No you don't. You have confirmation that he's human and has a heart problem. That's all the device requires for compatibility. You just want to play with him like he's a lab rat."

"Well, I admit his case is fascinating. Tell me Doctor, did you track this man down just to get your hands on my invention?" She looked up at him and I saw a look take over his eyes that I'd been on the recieving end of. I could stand against it no problem, the woman shifted and looked down.

"The patient is mine. I requested that he be brought here for a device." Martha said glaring at the woman.

"The others came for his and my protection so don't you think for one second that your going to get to do any experiments on him."

"You're a doctor, think of the advancements that could be made by studying him." The woman tried looking at Martha who leaned forward, her hands on her hips and glared up at the near seven foot purple woman.

"He is a human being, and my friend, think again before you start assuming its okay to speak or even think about him that way." She had a definite threat in her voice and the woman straightened up to make herself even taller than Martha who didn't even blink at her.

"I'd be careful if I were you. That's the Martha Jones. The same Martha Jones who saved the entire human race with a single word. She's not one you'd want to piss off." Jack warned and Martha crossed her arms expectantly. I raised an eyebrow but kept my mouth shut as the Doctor smiled proudly at Martha. The inventor just sighed after a moment and turned back to Owen with a longing look.

"Who are you to have such dangerous friends?" She turned her back to us and reached for the clipboard from her assistant.

"Owen Harper, resident dead man of Torchwood." He was just a tad smug as the woman's hand slipped and a long mark appeared on the form she was writing on. She didn't turn back again though.

"Get the damn device down here quickly. Here's the order, I want them gone." She apparently thought she was being quiet or just didn't care as she shoved the clipboard back at the younger alien and rushed from the room. The assistant glanced down smiled at us and said she'd be back in just a moment with our device.

"Well, that went well." Jack plopped down on a stool and I hopped up on a counter, Harley sliding to the floor while we waited.

"Do you think we threatened enough?" I asked contemplatively, tilting my head and looking at Jack.

"Enough? I think we could have gone with a few less threats." The Doctor was grumbling while he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed pouting.

"Nah, we didn't follow through so I think it was just right." Harley told me looking up awkwardly and then looking at Martha.

"What was the word?"

"What do you mean?" She asked with a sly grin crossing her face.

"The word that saved the human race, what was it?" Harley looked like she was about to jump up and start shaking the other woman for her answers.

"That didn't actually happen," Martha answered avoiding our eyes.

"Well, technically no. Well, it did but then we reversed the events so it didn't happen. A whole year was redone." The Doctor tried to explain and we just gave him a 'you're crazy' look and then looked back at Martha.

"The word is..." I asked impatiently also leaning forward so I almost fell off my perch.

"Doctor." She said grinning and Harley and I burst into laughter.

"So you saved humanity by calling the Doctor to come save the day?" I asked through my giggles and she nodded with a, "Pretty much."

"Don't sell yourself short Martha Jones. You traveled the entire world on foot with the armies of every country hot on your heels just to get the entire planet to say one word at the exact same time." The Doctor jumped forward to hug her tightly before spinning towards Jack.

"And you, you died at least twice an hour just to make sure her family stayed safe and I wasn't further tortured allowing her to do it without worrying about us too much." He then turned to Owen.

"You're dead!"

"You think he's got a point?" I asked quietly leaning down a bit to mumble to Harley who just shrugged and then he spun on us making us both straighten up and tense.

"And you two, you're demons!" He was shouting excitedly at this point.

"Brilliant, clever demons from another universe. You are all..."

"Fantastic?" Jack supplied and the Doctor grinned at him again and nodded.

"Fantastic. My wonderfully fantastic companions." He looked around at all of us fondly again.

"I think he just claimed us." My forehead was wrinkled in a confused face that said I wasn't sure I'd heard right or if I should be offended.

"You think that means he's gonna keep us?" Harley asked and I knew her face matched mine despite the hint of hope in the back of it that I was probably the only one who could recognize for what it was.

"If you want." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and gave us this hopeful boyish look before examining the converse on his feet.

"Wait until the running starts before you decide." Owen warned us piping up from where he still sat in the examination chair.

"What do you mean? There's not always running." The Doctor now looked offended as he shot his eyes to Owen.

"I've traveled with you, Doctor, there is, in fact, always running." Martha was the one with the fond look now and when the Doctor looked at Jack he nodded too.

"Oh my God!" Harley suddenly shot to her feet and spun to look at me.

"Expelliarmus!"

"What?" I was pretty sure we all said it but mine was the one she paid attention to.

"Remember when we went to see Shakespeare and there was that weird portal thing and I was yelling at you for causing it and then Shakespeare started this long speech and some chick and a skinny guy jumped on the stage and then when he needed that last word to close the portal he looked at the girl and she told him..."

"Expelliarmus." Martha and I sounded shocked, Harley excited and the Doctor was still in his fond remembrance. "There, you see, Martha? That's twice you saved humanity with a single word." He told her patting her shoulder and she smiled before looking at us confused.

"You were there?" She asked carefully.

"Different life so you wouldn't recognize us. I was the drunk prostitute passed out on the bleachers when the Queen arrived." I informed her and she nodded like that explained that and I turned back to Harley.

"Remember we laughed for a week when we remembered that Shakespeare had used it first? It's funnier now thinking that Shakespeare was actually quoting a fictional teenage wizard."

"We still laugh about it." Martha chuckled as if to prove her point and then took a step towards us.

"Was Shakespeare as big a perv to you as he was to me?"

"Probably." Harley laughed with her and then we all turned to the door as it burst open, the assistant coming in with some kind of device in her hand and her face pink instead of purple from lack of oxygen. The Doctor was instantly at her side while the rest of us went into high alert falling into defensive positions around the two without thinking or communicating.

"Distress signal. Others answered. Here." She shoved the device at the Doctor and gave him a pleading look.

"Run."

"See? Running." Owen said taking a quick peak out the door.


	8. Running

Owen popped his head back into the room and then nodded to Jack who just suddenly had some kind of gun in his hand. It looked like a normal revolver but considering who was holding it, I doubted it was. Jack nodded his head at Martha who quickly grabbed the Doctors hand and headed for the door. The Doctor shoved the device in his pocket thanked the assisstant and motioned Harley and I to follow him. Jack was also waiting impatiently at the door and when he saw that we were following bolted out of it ahead of the rest of us. We turned left out of the room, sprinting back the way we'd come just to stop spin the other way and take off in the other direction with the Doctor now in the lead when we saw a group of armored, gun toting aliens rounding the corner.

The Doctor spun around the next corner we came to, his feet sliding just a bit and Martha nearly hitting the wall before he tugged her upright again with the hand he still held. Harley did hit the wall but Jack grabbed her pulling her along without missing a beat. Owen now ran beside me and I felt like he should be huffing or something with the speed but then I remembered that he didn't actually breath and struggled to glare at him as I ran.

"I kind of hate you right now." I managed to get out between my own rapid breaths.

"Save your breath. You'll need it before we make it out of here at this rate. We're going the wrong way." Owen grinned smugly at me before sprinting ahead and tugging Martha's other hand around another corner causing a jerked chain reaction that just looked too funny for me to stay mad. I heard Harley and Jack laughing just behind me and Jack hollered a; "Just like old times"; before following Owen around the corner still tugging Harley along. We ended up sprinting towards an elevator and the Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at it as we got closer. The doors opened just as we skidded to a halt in front of it, all of us running into someone else to aid in the process. The doors opened and the Doctor was sonicing the door again to close it quickly on the hoard of soldiers inside.

"Judoon. Of course it's Judoon. Why wouldn't the Shadow Proclamation respond to a distress signal at their main medical facility," he rambled as he took off again running through a door and starting down the stairs.

"Up! Go up!" Martha shouted upon entering the stairwell and seeing more soldiers with different armor. She took off up the stairs and now the Doctor wound up beside me as we climbed three stories before taking off into the halls again.

"We need to go down!" Harley shouted while pulling Jack towards another set of stairs.

"Not that way!" Jack slammed the door closed and leaned his weight against it for just a second.

"How many responded to that signal do you think?"

"If it mentioned us in it? Everyone." I answered him and then took off again. The others followed me now and I ran into a separate ward, through what looked to be a lab and out the other side, scientists and doctors scattering out of the way as we bolted through the room like some kind of stampede.

"If we get to the other wing we might be able to make our way back down." The Doctor's voice came from somewhere behind me and I stopped to look out a window using the sill to keep me from falling as my feet tried to keep going.

"There's a connecting walkway just up ahead but it's already got bounty hunters guarding the entrance. We'll never make it through." I had my eyes on the group of about twenty armed aliens blocking the Doctors newest escape plan and felt Jack stop beside me and look too.

"What if we went around, not through?" He asked his eyes examining the walkway excitedly.

"I'm not going to like this plan am I?" Owen asked stopping on my other side.

"That ledge looks thick enough for us to walk along. If we can get outside we could completely avoid the soldiers and get back in on the other side." The Doctor took a quick look out the window and then grinned and ran again. I looked to Harley who shrugged and then sighed and took off after the Doctor again.

"It's a good thing I don't have a problem with heights." My voice was raised as we ran, Harley beside me again.

"Thanks for rubbing it in." Harley, who was afraid of heights, didn't sound at all enthused even though she was keeping up anyhow.

"Don't worry. Just hold onto me. If you slip I can pull you up or break your fall. Whichever works first." Jack assured her spinning into the room the Doctor had disappeared into.

"Oddly enough, that's not comforting." She shouted at him running around a gurney and a curtained off cubicle just to meet up with me again on the opposite side.

"Enough talking. Time for sneaking." The Doctor was holding a window open as Martha climbed through when the rest of us caught up to them.

"This still normal for you then?" Owen asked me quietly when Harley climbed out after Jack taking hold of the promised hand in a grip I knew was hurting him. He didn't so much as wince making me think just a little better of him.

"Not quite. There's usually not this much changing directions in my normal." I grinned at him and he climbed out the window.

"Like you said, adding your chaos to my daily routine was bound to wind up messy." The Doctor had that manic grin on his face again telling me he was having entirely too much fun, but then again, so was I so I returned the smile.

"You haven't seen messy yet." I warned him making his grin slip just a bit, excitement flash through his eyes and his hand grip the window just a touch tighter before I too climbed out the window onto the ledge. I turned back long enough to see the Doctor make it through the window, close it, sonic it shut and then follow after me at a considerably slower pace as we all crept along the ledge towards the enclosed glass bridge that was at least thirty-six feet from the ground below us.

I could feel us all holding our breath when we reached the platoon of Judoon and slowed further to sneak past them afraid of making any noise in case they caught on to us. Martha, Jack and Harley had made it with Owen directly in front of the soldiers when we heard them finally see us. There was a loud roar of a rhino-related species before the glass shattered around Owen, Harley and I. Owen covered his head falling forward off the ledge. Harley simultaneously grabbed the back of his jacket and was pulled over the ledge and I was spun around and fell the opposite way, into the building and on to the floor in the middle of the Judoon.

I could hear shouting from everywhere and yet the adrenaline coursing through me made me deaf to anything but my own heartbeat. My eyes kept seeing Harley being pulled from the ledge like it was being looped on an instant replay. I couldn't pay attention to anything other than getting back to the ledge and finding out what happened to my friend who was so much more. The Judoon circled around me and closed in quick but I was quicker. Before any of them could get more than a step closer to me, I was on my feet, fist flying and heel breaking through the armor of two separate soldiers who both flew backwards into the others. Three fell through the broken glass and over the edge and I followed them stopping just short of going over and looking for Harley's body around that of the fallen aliens.

When I didn't see anything and my heart rate kicked up even higher making my ears almost whistle, I looked up. Fluttering there like she'd done it her whole life was Harley, Owen still in her grip, coming in for a landing on top of the walkway. I sighed in relief jumped up, gripping the edge a good four feet above me and hoisting myself up to get beside her. As soon as her feet hit the roof, I had her in my arms in a crushing hug.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" I shouted at her pulling away and not really realizing I was shouting at all as my ears were still ringing.

"What did you do?" Owen asked moving to the edge to help pull Martha up.

"I don't really know. I seem to have sprouted wings." She was twisting on the spot to try and seem them better and I joined her in the examination.

"Never done that in this body before."

"I know what you mean. I just Hulked out on the soldier boys only without the green," I told her and she gave me shocked and confused eyes.

"Running now, shocked realizations later." The Doctor was moving again on the roof to look at the other side and then back to Harley.

"Can you get us to the ground safely?"

"Sure." She flapped her wings once, her feet leaving the ground and grabbing the Doctor into a hug before diving over the edge and to the ground. She made a few more trips at a rapid pace once she got the hang of it making Martha squeal and Jack was gripping his heart as if fighting off a heart attack when he finally reached the ground. I was the last to go and when we'd landed her wings folded up and disappeared.

"Thank god that didn't happen a minute ago." I shook my shoulders at the idea of free falling and Harley joined me even though she'd already done it.

"Not something I'd like to do again, thanks." She looked to the Doctor for further instruction and when I looked at him it was to see that look of intense concentration again.

"About that running?" I prompted and he cleared his throat looking around.

"Uh, yes. Well, I think we're clear of the first responders. If we can get back to the TARDIS quickly enough, we should be able to leave before the reinforcements arrive." He glanced around the group looking at each of us as if to ask if we were ready.

"Lead the way." Martha told him motioning with a hand and he grinned again before spinning on the spot and running again.

"I think I get why he's so damn skinny." Harley mumbled as she too took off at a sprint again. While I'd been exhausted a minute ago, the adrenaline was still coursing through my system and I felt like I could run a marathon and not feel it. I knew when I finally slowed down my entire body would ache though. I hadn't been this active this entire lifetime, counting soccer as a kid, and I knew my muscles were going to tell me all about it later. I grunted my agreement to Harley as we ran at a slightly slower pace. The blue box was a sight to see and I felt and saw all of us pick up speed and burst through the doors.

The Doctor had beaten us all to it and was holding the door open so when Jack slid through, gripping the edge to slow himself to a stop and then spinning to the side, he was able to slam the door shut and practically skipped up to the console where Martha and Harley were bent over gasping for breathe, Owen was collapsed in the jump seat and I was holding onto the railing using it to keep my shaking legs supporting me. Jack slid down to the grating and just sat there blocking the entrance and breathing. Even the Doctor was slightly out of breathe as he almost walked around the console spinning his dials and flipping switches. None of us had the energy to brace even a little as we took off and everyone but Jack ended up sprawled on the floor, where we just stayed for a minute.

"You have wings." I finally said to the ceiling even though the words were directed at Harley.

"You have super strength." She responded.

"How?" Owen questioned us both from his place, face down in front of the seat he'd previously occupied, his face turned to the side so he could speak.

"They're demons. Best I can tell, the demons broke out of their boxes when they realized their humans were in danger. I'm sure those Judoon will be spreading the legends again now. Well, the ones that survived." His tone was just a little scolding as he spoke but their was an acceptance there as well like he understood we hadn't meant to and that we didn't have control over it.

"Well, yeah, but how? I mean, I've been in life threatening situations before and never had my demon emerge like that." Harley sounded confused as she tilted her head back to see the Doctor, her back arching in the process.

"Same here." I too turned my head to look at the man.

"On an alien planet where anything less than demonic would ensure certain death?" he questioned eyebrow raised. We both thought for a minute before Harley laid flat again with a muttered "point taken." We laid silent for another moment before a large grin spread across my face.

"Hey, Har. We did it," I said my voice showing the thrill I had coursing through me at our success.

"I know!" She was squealing as she sat up and clapped happily. The Doctor got to his feet, pulled out the device to check that it was intact and then grinned at us all.

"You were all brilliant," he praised making Harley blush.

"Some of us more than others." Jack finally got to his feet as well and made his way up the ramp grinning from ear to ear. I joined in Harley's blush and sat up making my back face the group until I had lost the pink tinge without it seeming obvious that's what I was doing.

"So, what's it gonna take to put an on/off switch on that thing." Owen asked moving to look down at the thing that would make him alive again.

"Not much actually. A little tinkering here, some jiggery pokery there and voila. Instant power switch. It's the installation that's gonna be tricky. I'll need an extra set of hands." He was looking at Martha for the last statement and she nodded.

"Just let us know when your ready. I'll go get the med bay set up." She too sounded pleased and excited as she left the console room down the same corridor we'd been down earlier, Owen following behind to help her. Once it was just the four of us something shifted and the air itself grew serious.

"Handy talent to have, pulling out a demon at convenient times like that." Jack was the first to voice what we were all thinking.

"No control over it though. Could happen at any time. Could be dangerous." I voiced the downside.

"If we knew more, maybe we could find a way to control it. Like a switch." The Doctor held up the pacemaker as an example.

"Means you'll be stuck with us a bit longer." Harley warned hiding that hopeful tone and glint again. Like me, she dreamed of this kind of adventure.

"Sure you can handle it?" The Doctor grinned at us before asking, "Can you?" We both looked at the other, a silent conversation flying between us before we looked back, smiled and nodded. He gave us a truly pleased smile and nodded back.

"Then we'll find a way to make you're true selves safe."

"Can I come too?" Jack asked quietly and we looked between the two wondering why he wouldn't be able. The Doctor gave him a look similar to our conversation a moment ago and Jack shrugged.

"The team'll be fine for a bit. Sure, I've got the adventure and the running back home but I miss other worlds. I've never been in one place this long. It's why I became a time agent to begin with. Plus, time machine. I can still be back by Tuesday."

"Well, I suppose I will have to keep an eye on Owen for a bit, just to make sure the heart facilitator works the way it should. I don't see why you couldn't stick around to make sure he doesn't get any deader. Martha too." The Doctor finally answered with a sigh and faux-bored face. Jack grinned at him and after a second, the Doctor smiled back at him.

"I should get started on the tinkering. The med bay should be ready for surgery soon. Jack can show you two to the galley for a quick bite before we see if this actually works."

"Way to pretend to be responsible." I muttered and he shot me an offended open mouthed hurt look.

"I'm very responsible." His voice matched the face though there was a hint of laughter in the back saying he knew I was picking.

"Sure you are. What with the running from authority on a seemingly regular basis from what I hear. Very responsible." I saw the look in the Doctor's eyes change to a sad, serious, depression with just a hint of anger and quickly grinned and stepped towards the door.

"Wouldn't be any fun if you were though."

"Too right." He answered the look disappearing to be replaced with his usual glee.

"Come on. Kitchen's this way." Jack stepped up before I could put my foot in my mouth again and led us from the room.


	9. It's Alive!!!! Now she's dead.

The three of us made it to the kitchen laughing and joking the whole way trying to keep that post-victory high for as long as possible. We were currently reliving our escape for what seemed like the third time as we finally entered the room and Harley and I collapsed onto a couple of bar stools in front of an island in a fit of giggles over something Jack had said. The kitchen itself looked fairly normal considering it was in a living time and space ship. All the usual things were present and it actually looked a bit like one of the kitchens you'd find on the set of a home cooking show. Right down to the picture perfect dining table made fore six. At my confused look, Jack stopped his one man re-enactment of our run for safety.

"Something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking that this kitchen looks like one on a TV show from our time," I informed him of my thoughts. He took a look around, actually studying the room and then nodded.

"It does a bit doesn't it? She must be trying to make sure you two are comfortable. She is alive you know, she picks and makes rooms based on the inhabitants needs and wants and what the Doctor tells her to do. My room the first time I came along was barely more than a cell at first. Of course I was alive then. The next time I traveled with the Doctor, what ended up being the year that never happened," he clued so we knew time frames and we nodded remembering the conversation from earlier.

"She did give me a cell. My room had a bed, attached bath that you could barely call that, dresser and that was it. And the door locked everytime I was supposed to be resting and she wouldn't let me out until the Doctor came for me. It wasn't until we were dragging the planet back home from the Dalek invasion that she started to warm up to me."

"What do you mean 'dragging the planet'? Did it run away or something?" I asked confused and he gave me shocked eyes.

"A couple months ago the whole planet got transported into a giant planetary machine the Daleks had built. You don't remember that? Planet's in the sky, pepper shakers electrecuting people and abducting others? Nothing?" He was still giving me a confused look when the Doctor walked in proudly holding the new larger tinkered with pacemaker.

"Remember what?" He was curious so his excitement of his accomplishment would wait a moment while he decided if our topic was too boring or not.

"She missed the Daleks moving the planet." Jack pointed accussingly at me and the Doctor matched Jack's previous face as his eyes shot to me.

"I can get missing spaceships over London and the A positives on the roofs but the whole planet was stolen. How did you not notice that?" He asked disbelief filling him and his hand dropping, the device forgotten.

"Not notice what?" Owen questioned joining Martha in the room as they had come in search of the Doctor and overheard part of the conversation.

"The Dalek's stealing the planet." The Doctor had his sonic screwdriver out again and was running it up and down in the air before Harley.

"She was dead. The chaos caused by the Earth moving was so much that she passed out from the energy being shoved into her. She went into a coma while her body adjusted to the intake levels and by the time she was able to get her heart going again and wake up, we were back." Harley explained for me as the Doctor left her, apparently satisfied that her readings were normal.

"What do you mean energy intake?" Martha questioned curiously as the Doctor moved on to me.

"Energy comes off of everything, if it helps some people refer to it as magic, but its more like electricity. Chaos is tuned specifically to me and Jack as that's what we are. Normal chaos from like a bad car accident or a bank robbery just gives us a happy little boost. Too much though is like being struck by lightening. It overloads the body and makes it shut down. Jack gets it worse than me since she's more in tune with it. She creates it, brings it with her where ever she goes. I am it, I can kind of tune myself to it so it doesn't kill me but puts me in a kind of superactive state like a sugar highed two year old for about a week." This time they did seem to understand, except for the Doctor who was staring at his Screwdriver like he didn't believe what he was reading and thought it was malfunctioning.

"Overloads and kills her temporarily you say?" He wouldn't look away from his sonic as he scanned me again making me feel just a bit nervous.

"Yup. Usually when there's a lot of stress or chaos in her body at one time too quickly." Harley answered again as I was a little scared to speak at the moment.

"Huh, well, I think it's happening right now." He was looking at his scan results again as he said it. When he finally looked up at me it was with curious eyes.

"She's got no pulse."

"That it?" I asked and he nodded making me sigh relieved.

"Oh good. I thought there was something actually wrong with me." "

I wouldn't say there isn't." Owen crossed over to me and took my wrist as if to verify my lack of heart beat, his tone sarcastic. I lightly slapped him in the shoulder yanking my hand away from him.

"There's not. Like Harley explained, it's normal after doing something like what happened back there. I'd call that stressed chaos so it's not surprising my system needs to die for a bit and reset." I was just a little offended by his comment but it was made better when he didn't retaliate for me hitting him, just flinched and made a face before moving away. Martha was the next to approach me and she took the stethoscope the Doctor pulled from his pocket.

"Why do you have that in your pocket?"

"Might come in handy." He answered with a shrug. Harley was looking at his pockets looking just bit like she were checking him out as she leaned to the side to try and get a better look at a different angle.

"How does it fit without messing with the suit?" Half of the group gave her a confused look at what she chose to notice at this point. The Doctor just grinned proudly.

"Time Lord technology. They're bigger on the inside." He boasted and she nodded like that explained everything and turned back to Martha moving the stethoscope around on my chest. When she went to the right side and started listening there I tapped her shoulder to pull her eyes to mine.

"Human body, hun. Hearts still on the left, it's just not beating. You won't find another one on that side with me." She blushed a little and put the stethoscope down on the island with a muttered apology.

"So what's it like for you?" Owen asked plopping down on the stool on my other side and chatting like we were in some kind of support group, dead peoples anonymous.

"Same as you I imagine. I walk, talk, move about until the blood stops flowing. At that point I do tend to get a bit dizzy and either fall into a coma or restart my heart. I've never been dead long enough to experience the lack of sensations you have. I will warn you though, when your heart starts again, its gonna hurt. The beating will feel like its going to crack your ribs open from the inside. Your first breath will burn the whole way down and at first, your muscles will tingle like they're asleep but then they fade into an excrutiating stabbing pain before that too fades away." His expression got grimmer the longer I talked about what would happen to him.

"Sounds pleasant," he grumbled looking at his broken finger on the island like he was debating if it was worth it.

"It doesn't last that long. A few good breaths and your lungs will feel like you've just held your breathe for a bit longer than normal like when your swimming. Don't move until after your body has gone hot with the blood flow and then cold again as the tingly sleep feeling is completley gone and you should be fine. I have yet to learn a trick for making the heart hurt less so you'll just have to deal with that. The longer I go without the sensation of my heart beating the more it hurts when it starts up again because my body adjusts to not having it and then its back and it takes a while for me to adjust back again." He seemed to take in all the information nodding at my advice and taking a deep breath to prepare himself for it.

"How long has this been happening to you?" The Doctor was giving me curious sad eyes as he heard me talk and when he finally asked his question I knew my answer wouldn't make that sadness disapear.

"The day this body had it's first demon manifestation." Recognition crossed his features at the mention of my first kill this life time and his eyes widened.

"You were no more than eight you said." He sounded genuinley astonished and I was betting that was just a bit rare for him like there wasn't much in the universe he hadn't seen and this was one of them.

"That photo of me on a sidewalk taking a nap? I freaked for that one because that was my first death. I was alone and all the other pain was accompanied by a large bump on the back of my skull and pounding in my head to go with my newly restarted heartbeat. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life this go 'round and believe me when I tell you I've had some doozies." I explained further when Martha and Jack still looked lost. When I mentioned the photos Jack and Owen perked up but Martha was still lost. Owen gave her an 'I'll explain later look' and she let it slide for the time being.

"Well, then I think you should help Owen prepare for his coming back, since you're the only one with any experience in the field. Jack just dies, he's not living dead." The Doctor's voice changed drastically, like mine had in the console room, and I let out a tiny breathe thankful that we were done with that.

"I've done what I can. There's not a whole hell of a lot of preparing you can do for something like this. Although, I usually come back hungrier than normal." I turned to Owen who suddenly looked excited.

"Anything in particular you've been craving since dying?"

"Food. Food and beer. Hell, dog food would be good at this point. Not dog food though. Pizza, one of those greasy American cheeseburgers, ooh, chips." He rambled his eyes getting a glassy far away look as he went through the things he missed the most. I chuckled and nodded.

"I think we can figure out something to make you before we head back to Earth. Once your moving again, your body is gonna need food just to keep doing it. So we'll just pump you full of protein and then we can head back to our place. There's a Wendy's just down the street where we can get your cheeseburger and a Pizza Hut a little further after that." Harley offered and I nodded again agreeing to the plan. Owen groaned and I thought he might be drooling if his body were capable of making saliva at the moment.

"Right, lets get this thing shoved inside my chest then." He suddenly popped to his feet, headed to the door, stopped to look back at the other two Doctor's still standing there and gave them an impatient expectant look, motioning to the corridor.

"Come on, kind of tired of being dead here."

"Will you be alright?" The Doctor questioned looking back to me.

"Yeah, I got about another forty-five minutes before the circulation stops completley. I'll need to lay down then and probably take a coma. If I'm not awake in twenty four hours, Harley knows what to do. Don't question her." I told him and he nodded seriously before heading from the room.

"Hey Doctor?" He popped his head back in at my call.

"He's gonna need fresh blood, a lot of it. And make sure you close up any open wounds before starting. Bleeding out kind of defeats the purpose."

"Thanks. I didn't think of that." He was giving me another one of those blush inducing proud looks and I found myself examining the islands top.

"Don't worry about it. I only did 'cause I did that once. Almost stayed dead that time." I told him and Harley grimaced and winced for me. Thankfully, no one asked for details as the Doctor headed off down the corridor again, his feet echoing and clanging on the grating.

"So, we need to find some protein to shove into Owen for when he rejoins the land of the living. Let's see what we got." Jack clapped his hands together and spun to look in the fridge for suitable items. Harley moved to the cabinets and I stayed where I was knowing moving would bring on the coma faster.

"I usually go for a nice juicy medium rare steak after my deaths. Got any sirloins in the freezer?" I questioned from my seat and Jack looked. He reached in and pulled out an armful of paper wrapped packages that I recognized as fresh beef cuts and grinned.

"There's the stuff in here for peanut butter cookies. Peanut butter is good for protein. I can make up desert while the steaks cook." She offered and I nodded at her.

"What about veggies? Asparagus stalks are usually pretty helpful and go well with the steaks if cooked right." I asked and Jack reached into the fridge after setting down the steaks, pulling out the mentioned vegetable.

"I think the TARDIS was a step ahead of you." Jack explained at our curious looks.

"She has a tendency to anticipate just what you need and provide it when you do. Don't really know how she does it but then I never asked. I'm just grateful she does."

"Works for me," I said shoving my confusion away and just taking it at face value. Harley shrugged and did the same before turning to find mixing bowls. I felt useless just sitting there so Jack moved the raw steaks and seasonings over to me placing them in the center of the island before turning to bring the asparagus and started prepping them. I shot him a grateful look, pulling the steaks and seasonings over to me and he nodded without saying a word. Once that was done and I'd returned to my seat after shifting slightly to wash my hands in the center sink before and after I'd touched the raw meat I started to actually feel my death. My chest had a slight dull ache starting to build as my body recognized the lack of a heartbeat. I took a couple deep breaths, breathing out slowly and grabbed the platter the steaks were on, Jack took it from me and turned to the small grill like stove, pointing at me to sit down in the process. I sat as instructed as I was starting to feel my head get a bit fuzzy. It cleared up again when I stopped moving and got my weight off my feet but then I felt bored and useless again. I jumped when the counter in front of me suddenly popped up and a small section flipped over to show a screen that looked suspiciously like an Ipad. A glance at the screen showed music playlists from twenty first century Earth. I grinned and narrowed the search some more, finally finding a way to connect my personal playlists and sift through those. The touch screen was more advanced than the ones currently available on Earth but it still worked like the ones I was familiar with so it didn't take long for me to pick out a few songs and setting them to play. Naturally, I felt the need to start with Disney's Be Our Guest and both Jack and Harley laughed when the music filtered through the room at a comfortablly loud volume where we could still hear eachother but not without a touch of focus. It was the volume Harley and I always used when one of us was in the kitchen. Usually me since I didn't currently work and she did. I originally chose the volume so I could still hear it whether I had the fan above the stove going, the sink running as I did dishes or the food I was cooking was sizzling. It worked here too since there was multiple sounds competing to be heard around the kitchen that would have drowned out the music if not for the volume. The up beat tracks made me feel more alive too, wiping away some more of the side effects of not having a pulse. And then Harley opened another cabinet in search of an ingredient and was greeted with a sight that made us both squeal as I could just see inside. Jack jumped dropping his tongs at our outburst and then grinned widely when Harley pulled out a bottle of liquor neither of us was familiar with.

"Hypervodka. That'll go great with this." He turned down the heat on the grill and shifted to look in the cabinet pulling out various other bottles and a few glasses and quickly moving them to the island and mixing up some drinks. The first martini glass he handed to me and the next to Harley waiting and watching us both expectantly.

"I don't like martini's" Harley said sniffing the drink hesitantly.

"But you've never had one of those martini's before. Trust me, hypervodka martini's are my specialty. Just try it." He pleaded and I took a deep breath before taking a tiny sip from the glass in my hand. My face automatically shifted to a pleasantly shocked look and Harley took this as a sign to sample hers when I took another larger sip.

"It's sweet. Does hypervodka taste like that or is it the other stuff you mixed in?" I asked Jack after my third sip. I had been trying to identify the flavor but then realized it was an alien liquor and I probably wouldn't be able to.

"A little of both actually. What do you think?" He turned back to the grill, resetting the heat and focusing on the meat again as he asked.

"This is good. Like really good." Harley praised taking another large sip and I laughed and covered the top of her glass pulling it down just a bit.

"Take it easy, Har. You're a lightweight with normal liquor. Just 'cause it doesn't taste like it doesn't mean it won't knock you on your ass before you even finish mixing the cookies," I warned her and she gave me a sheepish nod, a slight blush forming on her cheeks before she set the glass down and moved back to her mixing.

"Just how much of a lightweight are we talking here?" Jack sounded like he was going to tease her for this so I felt the need to assisst him.

"Like, two normal Earth drinks has her plastered and stumbling about." I laughed at the glare she shot me and shrugged.

"He'd find out eventually."

"I don't remember you being that bad last time. Maybe four before you had to tap out," he commented looking at the bright red Harley who was pointedly not looking at us.

"I don't drink as often this time," she defended putting a little more force than necessary into her banging out of cookie portions.

"And what about you?" Jack turned that mischevious grin to me and I shot him one right back. "I'm half Hungarian with a metabolism like a heard of elephants. I can drink." I told him and he cocked an eyebrow as if to ask if I'd just challenged him. I kept my eyes steadily trained on his as I took another drink and he threw me a look that said he was coming back to that when he had time and turned back to flip the steaks and turn the asparagus. We had just finished off putting the food on plates and setting the table, me moving slower than the others, when the Doctor re-entered the room a broad smile on his face.

"I take it, it worked?" Jack was the one to ask and then Owen was hobbling into the room bandages wrapped around his otherwise naked chest and arm with Martha supporting him from under the uninjured arm. He didn't say anything and I knew it was probably because he couldn't quite talk through the pain just yet. But the need for food was too great to wait long enough for the pain to dissipate completely.

"It's alive!" Harley nearly shouted and he glared at her. I motioned at Jack to help Owen to a seat from where I stood, one hand on the back of a chair to support myself. Once he was down and just staring at the food, drool actually there this time, I went ahead and collapsed into a chair as well.

"How you holding up?" The Doctor was almost whispering as he asked the question taking the seat beside me instead of the head of the table like we'd thought he would. Martha took the seat beside Owen and waved his fork in front of his face tauntingly to get his attention. He shot her a glare and picked up his knife making Martha drop his silverware and he picked that up too and dug in. Jack took one of the head spots and once Harley had pulled the cookies from the oven making Owen groan again at the scent, she took the other one.

"Fine considering." I finally answered when everyone was settled and enjoying their meals talking to one another and not really paying attention to us.

"Starting to feel it a bit, but a bit of food and I should be better. I don't think this death is gonna last as long as some of the others. I might not even coma if I work this right."

"And drinking is right?" He questioned when he saw the drink in my hand.

"Doesn't hurt." I was smirking as I answered and I just knew he was fighting off an eye roll.

"This looks brilliant. Well done, everyone." He rejoined the other conversations then leaving me to focus on my plate. Owen was a lost cause for conversation, no one able to get more than a few mumbled pleased noises from him around his mouthfuls of food. I was in a similar boat except that I was trying to focus on eating and not allowing the dizzy feeling to return. All things considered, the liquor probably hadn't been a good idea but I didn't particularly think that was contributing to the need to pass out all that much. It was more that I'd just pushed myself too far and now my body was finally voicing its opinion. I made it through half of the meal, different people shooting me concerned glances from time to time. When I finally gave up, dropping my silverware and pushing my chair back, even Owen paid attention. Harley was instantly at my side helping me to stand. My vision swam with the movement and I knew a glance in a mirror would have shown my skin was damn near translucent in how pale it was. Even my lips would have lost all color. I'd look like the corpse after they'd been dead for awhile. My legs gave out and Harley made sure I didn't hit the floor too hard as she couldn't completely support my dead weight on her own. Then the Doctor cleared in my blurred vision and I was able to see he was the fuzzy blob hovering above me.

"Jack, what's happening? What do you need?" He looked up at Harley when I just groaned.

"What does she need?"

"Time." Harley answered sadly knowing there was nothing we could do to speed the process.

"Sleep might help but she can't rest until her heart starts up again. Her brain activity is the only thing keeping her half alive. If she passes out, we have no way of knowing if she'll wake up again."

"What if we monitored her brain activity to make sure it doesn't stop? Could she sleep then?" Martha questioned from my side by Harley and I wasn't clear enough yet to try and look at her.

"And if it does stop, how do you plan on bringing me back? CPR? It's not like I died of natural causes, hun." I was being snarky again so I knew being flat on the ground was helping just a bit.

"So we just sit here and wait?" Jack sounded like that was the last thing he wanted to do and the Doctor had that sad look in his eyes as he watched me again.

"Well, maybe not right here. This floors a bit hard." My voice said that I found this to be an unusual occurance for floors and they needed to be aware of it too. Harley chuckled and then reached a hand out to grip mine.

"Your freezing, Jack. You sure your up for moving?" She questioned her hand not leaving mine.

"Barf bucket just in case?" I requested and she got up, leaving me for just a moment before returning with a small bucket that I could easily grip, puke into and wash out should the need arise.

"Okay," I said gripping the bucket in one arm tightly and reaching the other up above me,

"Someone help me to a softer surface." Rather than my hand being taken and being pulled up to my feet like I'd been expecting, I felt arms slide around my shoulders and under my knees and I was lifted off the ground entirely. My arm tightened around the bucket as my world swam again and I threw my other arm around the shoulders carrying me for stability that I surely didn't feel. I was being moved down the corridor at a slow easy pace that allowed me to adjust and when my vision cleared up again it was to see the Doctor was the one carrying me. I couldn't see anyone else, though I could hear them following behind us.

"Strong for a scrawny guy." My voice came out slightly slurred as my mind started losing it's grip on conciousness. I needed to restart my heart very soon or things would get very ugly for me.

"Time Lord." He smiled down at me fondly as he paused in front of another set of double doors and I saw the leather band that accompanied Jack's wrist pull one open and I was then taken inside. I tried to glance around but that was a bit beyond me so I closed my eyes. The continued motion of the Doctor made that a very bad idea as nausea swept over me making my eyes flash back open and my throat repeatedly swallow to try and keep the bile down. I looked at the Doctors face and focused on that until I was laid down on a cushy deep red suede feeling couch that was long enough for me to lay on it without touching either end and wide enough that I had no worries about rolling off. Harley even had room to take up a position at my feet to watch me. I felt my head being lifted and then placed back down gently and when I could focus it was to see Jack had sat down so I could use his leg to prop my head up. I gave a weak generalized thankful smile and let my eyes fade out of focus.

"How long will she be like this?" I heard Owen asking Harley from down by my feet. "It varies. If she does pass out and doesn't wake up or show signs of life in twenty four hours after losing conciousness its to be assumed that she's actually dead, and burned, her ashes scattered over three bodies of moving water." She informed them of my wishes and I heard Martha's outraged cry.

"But what if she's not dead? What if she just needs a little more time?" She asked desperatley.

"Three days is the usual time taken for funeral arrangements. If we wait longer than that than she can't have a casket for her showing and wake for her family. She'll be starting to decompose by then." Harley explained patiently like I had done the first time I'd told her my plan after she'd witnessed a death.

"She's planned this out with that much detail?" The Doctor questioned and I just knew he was remembering overhearing me tell Harley that my plans never worked.

"If she plans it out flawlessly than it will never be needed. The only time a plan of hers doesn't go wrong is when it isn't needed." Harley's voice said she was grinning at me fondly.

"It's her way of tricking Murphy's Law. She's prepared to be actually dead from this so it can't happen."

"Makes sense in a backwards kind of way." Jack commented softly not sure how sensitive my ears were.

"Yup. That's me. Backwards demon of chaos." I felt my arm rise to wave shakily.

"Hi."

"Now comes the delerious portion of her death. We're almost done if she's here." Harley clued them in to why she was chuckling.

"Hey, guys, guess what. I'm DEAD!" My arms seemed to have plenty of life as they waved about trying to find any person and then flew into the air with my proclomation.

"Dead, dead, dead. Dead demon girl. Hey, Har, remember that one time I died and someone actually called an ambulance? Those poor guys with the tubes didn't know what to do!" I broke into a fit of giggles and Harley explained that the EMT's that had responded had trouble finding both my non-existant pulse and a vein to put their saline solution into to try and help me. As she talked about them trying to take off my boots to check my ankles for a vein, my body doubled over, rolling onto my side and my knees coming to my chest as I laughed hysterically, gasping for breathe. Thankfully I wasn't the only one laughing. Unfortunately my heart chose that moment to kick back on. I gasped in pain this time my eyes popping open and my hand moving to grip my chest instead of my sides. I felt movement around me and heard Owen and Harley's voice warning others away from me. My body lurched off the couch and I landed on my knees and one hand, the other still gripping my chest above my heart. Several deep breaths got me through the next five minutes as my heart bounced around at various rhythms before settling down into a normal human beat and I was able to sigh and take one full pain free breathe before sitting up on my knees.

"Well, that was fun."

"You're good?" Harley asked gripping my arm to help me back onto the couch when I shifted towards it. I nodded and laid my head on the back letting my eyes slide shut.

"Living is exhausting." I mumbled right before I felt myself give a long yawn.

"I know what you mean. Is it always like this?" Owen asked collapsing in a big cushy matching chair kind of diagonal from the couch.

"Usually." I told him through another yawn.

"I'd like to take a coma now if you don't mind." I was looking at Jack as I asked the tone in my voice reminiscent of a three year old. He chuckled and nodded patting his leg. I was too tired to realize I wasn't usually this comfortable with strangers and laid my head back on his leg. His hand began to soothingly run through my hair and I couldn't have said if there was anymore conversation after that because all I saw was black as I fell asleep.


	10. I'm Awake!!

When I returned to consciousness it was to a completely different scene than what I'd fallen asleep to. I had to guess this was the med bay based on the medical equipment, hospital bed and IV sticking out of arm. Owen lay in a bed beside me, an IV in his arm too though he was still out, so I took the opportunity to examine the room while I was relatively alone. A strange mix of alien and familiar equipment was scattered about the room. More monitors than I knew what to do with flashed different stats, some I could read others looking like nothing more than looping circles. The IV was from my time and a quick glance at the bag that was pumping fluids into me said this was for nutrients and hydration telling me I'd been in my coma long enough for me to need nutrients, a few days at least.

A monitor attached to the IV stand with a squiggly line must have been my heart monitor and I was a little relieved to see the spikes saying that I hadn't stayed dead yet. Counters circled the room with cabinets above them and doors and drawers beneath them. Various lab equipment was on the counter tops and while the coloring was that same golden coral that was easier on my eyes than hospital white, it still had that overly sterile feel to it. I stopped my study of the room then when I heard footsteps approaching on the grated floors and used my arm that wasn't stabbed with a needle to push myself up into a sitting position.

No sooner than I managed to get up, Harley stepped through the door a tired smile on her face. She took a glance at Owen and then stepped closer to my bed, sitting on it when I shifted my legs to hang over the edge and sit next to me. She didn't say anything but she didn't need to yet. I was still groggy and adjusting to being conscious again so she knew me well enough to know I wasn't exactly coherent yet. A moment later, the Doctor came into the room too and also glanced at Owen before crossing over to him to check his monitors and then come to me. He also didn't say anything just gave me a concerned look. I shrugged my answer and raised a finger to cover my lips in a be quiet motion when he opened his mouth to speak.

My head nodded to my sleeping roommate and the Doctor nodded understanding that he shouldn't speak in case he woke up Owen. Instead he closed his mouth again and turned to my monitors his eyes flashing between screens that I couldn't understand. I gave Harley a confused look asking if she knew what they were and she shook her head at me in a 'I have no clue' and 'don't ask' motion. I remembered the Doctors technical babble about TARDIS parts and just envisioned that in medical terms and I felt a headache coming on. I tapped the Doctor on the shoulder to pull his attention back to me and lifted my arm with IV to ask if it could be removed. He didn't respond except to hit something on one of the screens and then carefully remove the needle from my arm. As soon as it was out, Harley hopped to her feet and held out an arm in preparation of bracing me. She knew I'd want to get out of this room as fast as possible. I felt fine now that I'd died and slept it off.

It was a little like being drunk for me. If I didn't get a sufficient coma, I wound up with a hangover to kill me again. As that was missing I had more confirmation that I'd been out of it for a while longer than normal. Harley and I tiptoed out of the room not realizing that the Doctor hadn't seen us leave and she led me to the kitchen where Jack was waiting with a cup of coffee for me.

"How long?" I asked once I'd taken a sip to help wet my very dry mouth and throat. I still sounded gravelly and hoarse but I knew it would fade soon.

"Doctor says three days. It's kind of hard to tell here. No time in the vortex or the TARDIS apparently." Harley answered my question sitting down at the table and pushing out a chair for me to do the same opposite her. I wasn't awake enough yet to argue. A glance at Jack showed he was reheating the dinner I'd left just before my death took its dive. I looked to Harley with an eyebrow raised in question.

"I told them what to expect after a coma. Jack wanted to make you some kind of four course breakfast but I told him you'd just want to finish your meal from the other night."

"I don't like letting good food go to waste." I grumbled guiltily and she grinned at me expectantly.

"And it helps to avoid that I've lost a few days."

"Told you." She raised her voice a little to let Jack know she was talking to him.

"You owe me ten bucks."

"You bet on my reason for liking leftovers?" I questioned her a sardonic disbelief in my voice sounding almost angry with the hoarseness that was still present.

"I bet on getting you to admit to it." She clarified and I nodded like that made it all better, sipping at my coffee some more.

"Why'd they move me?" I asked after a minute of just drinking my coffee. Harley knew I hated hospitals or hospital like places and since a similar facility had been the cause of this death she had to of known I wouldn't appreciate waking up there.

"I tried telling them not to but the Doctor insisted that it would be easier to care for you and keep an eye on you and Owen if you were there in the med bay." She sounded petulant as she crossed her arms and glared at me. I knew it wasn't directed at me but rather the argument that had transpired while I'd been unconscious.

"And they felt the need to stab me too? How many tries before they got a vein?" My own voice sounded a bit pouty too.

"Actually, Martha did really well. Got one on the first try. They swear it was just a precaution to make sure you wouldn't be sick when you woke up," she grumbled.

"Did you tell them about the week long coma?" I got my answer from Jack as he brought over my plate and silverware.

"Yes, and we ignored her. We don't know enough about either of you to be sure you wouldn't end up going all demon again if we didn't treat you as human. Like you said before, the demons never emerged like that and neither of you know what kind of side effects that'll have so the Doctor thought it best to play it safe." Jack too sat down only he sat beside me instead of across from me like Harley was. This meant my back was to the wall and she had hers to the door so she didn't see when the Doctor came in glancing around frantically.

"I didn't take out the IV for you to wander off. I need to run some tests and make sure you're normal. Your still letting off some really high readings that have me worried," he ranted when he spotted me calmly chewing.

"I'm fine, Doctor. The readings are probably just excess energy making your equipment go wonky. It'll fade the longer I'm awake and faster if I'm active instead of sitting around your med lab." I told him waiting until I'd finished chewing and swallowing just to bug him. It worked because he actually glared at me.

"Doc, I'm watching her. If she's up though, don't you think Owen should be too. He shouldn't be left alone with all those toys in there. It's like his candyland." Jack stepped in before the Doctor and I could start fighting and he sighed and nodded, leaving the room again.

"Harley told me you don't like hospitals. I know the feeling. Figured if we're playing it safe we probably shouldn't keep you uncomfortable." He gave me a serious look before adding, "Eventually he is going to need to run those tests though. He won't stop bothering you until you do it and believe me when I say you don't want to see a pushy time lord."

"I just need to wake up and recoup a bit before going back in there." I promised and he nodded before getting up to refill my coffee.

"So what did I miss?"

"I had to explain to them that you both needed to sleep for your bodies to catch up to the changes and you should be left alone. It worked for the first sixteen hours and then they got concerned and moved you both to the lab. The Doctor or Martha would check in periodically. I stopped by and sat with you a few times. Jack sat with Owen a bit. For the most part I stayed in the library. It was just down the hall so I could get to you quickly and the Doctor set up a monitor for me so I could see if you woke up. His library is amazing, Jack. You're gonna have to check it out when you're feeling up to it." Harley filled me in quickly and I nodded along with her commentary. We both knew the only problem I was going to have with the exploring the library was the excess energy the Doctor was picking up on. I would get that toddler on a sugar rush feeling Harley had been explaining and wouldn't be able to hold still for more than ten minutes at best until some of it wore off. I wasn't quite there yet so I was going to use the time I had to enjoy my meal and relax.

Harley and Jack kept up a lively conversation making me chuckle occasionally while I ate and had a third cup of coffee. I'd just sat back down again when I heard Martha and the Doctor approach. They were arguing about something and when Owen was the first to enter the room I knew what. Owen had a button down shirt fluttering around him, the bandages on his chest showing and a pair of socks on his feet. Other than that, there was no change from what I'd seen him sleeping in. His face was a mixture of groggy and annoyed as he moved to the coffee pot like he'd done it a thousand times, his body on autopilot. Martha and the Doctor followed him into the room and it seemed like Martha had won the argument from the dejected pout on his face as he watched Owen move to the table and Martha pull more leftovers out of the fridge and start to heat them up like Jack had for me.

"What's up with him?" I asked nodding to the Doctor when Owen fell into the seat beside me with a tired huff.

"He wanted to run some tests and I wanted to eat. Martha told him what Harley told us about the need for the body to regain lost energy and nutrients with food and I got tired of waiting for them to sort it out and left. They apparently followed." His tone was still that slightly cranky snark as he filled me in but it lightened as he spoke and I assumed it was due to him actually starting to wake up.

"So, how long were you out? No offense, but you don't look like your done yet." I told him while motioning to the underneath of my eyes to indicate he still had bags there.

"On and off for about two days. I feel like shit so no offense taken. Is that normal?" He was looking at me, his body turned just slightly to face me as we chatted. I knew the room was paying attention to the conversation even if the both of us pretended not to notice.

"If your body isn't done recovering, yes. That's why I take comas. Extended periods of straight sleep is always better than interrupted stretches. You were dead for a long time too so if you can't coma you may need a few more days of consistent long naps." He nodded at what I told him and sighed, rubbing his eyes like he was ready for that nap already and sipped at his coffee.

"So why did you take three days?" Martha brought the plate she'd been heating over to the table and took a seat on my other side at the head also facing me.

"You said he needs a few more days. All together he said he got a full forty-eight hours. Why does he need five days and you needed three when he's been dead so long?"

"My coma was caused by a massive energy intake. I had to wait for some of the power to dissipate before my body would even consider consciousness. If it hadn't been for the demon emergence, I probably wouldn't have coma'd at all. But it's appearance and Harley's caused too much Havoc for me to not need a rest." I explained and she nodded.

"So, energy and length of time dead dictate the length of the coma?" She asked and I nodded.

"How long can you be dead before you need a coma without the energy intake?"

"About a day total. Why?" I was fine explaining the complexities of my death cycles to her, but I was curious why she was. She turned to the Doctor before answering me.

"Is that long enough for the pacemaker to recharge or is he going to be out of commission every time he has to turn it off?" Her question made me realize her curiosity was to hammer out the technicalities of Owen's new status, not me. That actually made me feel better about answering her questions.

"If his body is regularly stressed he might be able to last longer before needing a coma. I'm just not usually save the world active this life," I added and the Doctor nodded like he was doing math in his head while Owen, Martha and Jack's nods all said he was 'regularly stressed' as I'd put it.

"How much longer do you think?" The Doctor questioned that concentrated look still on his face.

"Maybe two days. I wouldn't push much further than that just because the pain becomes unbearable and has a tendency to kill again much longer than that," I answered.

"That explains the complications with the surgery." A look of dawning crossed his face as he looked back to Martha.

"I told you I didn't mess it up."

"He was screaming and kept losing his pulse. What was I supposed to think?" She shot back at him.

"I did tell you it would hurt." I had a smug grin on my face as I watched the two bicker.

"Not fatally though. That would have been nice to know before hand." Owen put in his two cents the cranky tone growing again.

"Would it have made a difference? It's not like you could use pain killers." When I pointed this out the three of them all got quiet like they had nothing to say to that so I continued the conversation.

"So will two days be enough to recharge his batteries?"

"Should be. Probably won't even take that long once he's healed the broken finger. I sealed up the tissue damage before operating so he's only got bones to heal and then he can shut down for a while to store up some power." The Doctor was filling me in and Owen grimaced.

"I can't decide if you're talking about me like I'm a computer or some kind of robot toy," he grumbled taking a gulp of coffee.

"You get used to it after a while, people talking about you like your not a person. It's easier to deal with if you do it too. Find a way to detach yourself from it. Dying isn't exactly psychologically easy to deal with and when it happens frequently it can be tough to cope." I tried to comfort him and he nodded shooting a glance at Jack.

"Is that what the flirting's about?" He questioned and the Doctor laughed.

"No, he was like that before he became immortal." The Doctor finally moved over to the table and took a seat.

"So two more days of floating about huh?"

"We could head back to Earth at any time. We don't have to stay in the vortex." Harley mentioned and it sounded like she'd done it multiple times recently.

"Nah. You said they needed undisturbed rest. That means no running and as most of you have pointed out, if I'm on solid ground, there's running. Vortex is the safest place in the universe. Perfect for adventure free resting." He gloated and then leaned back in his chair. That lasted all of ten seconds before talking again.

"Bit boring though, isn't it?"

"I said that two days ago. You can just park in our apartment. It's in Bumfuck, Ohio. What the hell adventure could you have? And you still wanted to look for your parts." Harley's voice said she'd had this argument a lot but was hopeful it would actually work this time.

"Why don't we stay in the Vortex for one more day so Owen can rest up some more. Then we'll head to America and let him finish off his reset then. Since he's alive now, you can give him a sedative to knock him out so he can properly adjust." I mediated between the two and Harley finally nodded her agreement with a huff. The Doctor looked to Owen to see if he was okay with it.

"She's the living dead expert. If she says drug me and is sure it'll work, drug me." He answered the look and then the Doctor nodded his agreement as well.

"Finish off your food and then we'll take you to a room instead of the med bay. I'll have the TARDIS monitor you but if you're only going to be out for a day I don't need to put an IV back in." He said standing to go prepare the room. Once he was out of sight Owen turned back to me a grateful look on his face and I got the feeling he'd had enough of the med bay too. I shrugged and looked down at my coffee.


	11. Trading Stories

"What the hell are we supposed to do for another day?" Harley grumbled despite her agreement a moment ago.

"It's a living time and space ship that's bigger on the inside. You said alone the library was impressive, we've seen the wardrobe room. I know you didn't want to get too far from me while I was out but now that I'm awake again we could properly explore just how much bigger she is." I had a bit of excitement in my voice as I told her this and she perked up.

"We're not tied to the med bay anymore. We could go back and play dress up some more, we could play hide and seek..."

"Hide and seek? The childrens game?" Jack interupted my list and I glanced over at him. The was he was perched on the edge of his seat said he'd be joining us in whatever we found to amuse ourselves.

"Yeah. Can you imagine how much fun that could be in a ship that literally can play too? She'd be moving rooms around and we'd be trying to hide or catch someone. Of course if she's half as big as I think she is it could take us years to find everyone so maybe not hide and seek until we can set some boundaries," I contemplated aloud.

"Which brings back to exploring in our downtime."

"You make it sound like you've already got a plan for your day," Martha commented shifting to look back at me more comfortably and I nodded.

"First on my list, I want another of those Hyper-martini thingies that you made." I turned to Jack and he shot me a mischievous grin.

"I don't know. The last time I made you one, you literally died. I don't think you could handle another." He was teasing I knew but I still got a warning look on my face as I stood up.

"You and I both know, liquor had nothing to do with that. Now, you can make me one yourself, or I can try and make one on my own, get it horribly wrong, make myself sick, and force you to drink the remaining screw up." I moved to the cabinet we'd found the bottles in last time and before I even had it fully open, I saw the leather band of Jack's wrist blocking my way.

"I'll get right on it then. Anyone else?" He asked carefully moving me to the side and away from the cabinet. I couldn't stop the grin as I moved back to the table.

"You realize that for you it's like early morning right? You did just wake up." Martha pointed out giving me a slightly disapproving look as she watched Jack mixing up drinks for Harley, himself, and me.

"And you realize that I've just had breakfast, and dinner, and this would be the usual calm down after taking a nap and pray to get some sleep time, right?" I shot back and she gave me a confused look.

"I'm an insomniac and as it's been pointed out to me, time is relative here. Something you guys are keeping track of for some sense of normalcy. That's not normal for me."

"It's more like it's too much trouble. I swear the only reason you know the day changes at all is because of me leaving and coming back from work." Harley was picking on me as she took her drink from Jack and he retook his seat.

"Wouldn't, I don't know, daylight and the lack thereof be a better clock? What if you don't work?" He asked Harley sliding my drink over to me and seeming really interested.

"It would if I slept. When my insomnia's not acting up too badly then I can keep track of day versus night. After the third night of not sleeping at all you tend to lose track of the difference between sunlight and the lights you turned on to see by." I answered and he nodded. Owen was also nodding but had his mouth full so couldn't really even mumble out his response. Apparently, he hadn't eaten enough before he passed out either. His body had a lot of catching up to do now that it was circulating again. The nod said that he'd spent many a sleepless night though and knew exactly what I was talking about.

"This one time, I get up to head into work around one in the afternoon, and she looks up at me and asks what I'm doing up so early. She honestly didn't realize it was past noon." Harley shared and despite my own explanation I felt a small blush form on my cheeks.

"Oh, that's nothing. I woke up at Torchwood once to find Owen banging on my door asking what I was still doing asleep and we had work to do. It was three in the morning and there wasn't anything going on." Jack shared and Owen swallowed his food to defend himself.

"Oi, I was still adjusting to being dead. You didn't have to make me clean out the bathrooms in retaliation." Owen complained turning to us, "Do you know how many bathrooms Torchwood has? Twenty-six. And most of them haven't been used since Jack took over. If I could have gotten sick I would have. A lot."

"Serves you right." Jack mumbled while the rest of us laughed.

"You should see her when she gets manic. Her insomnia turns into OCD. I come home and the plaster walls are shining from her scrubbing." Harley breathed between chuckles but when the others laughed at the image she couldn't help it and burst into hysterics.

"Well, what do you suggest I do to fill up the time? I don't sleep, I can't find work, and there's only so much I can talk to my family. Reggie's got a life too. I just don't have enough to wear me down." I was whining, I knew I was whining. I also knew I didn't care as they laughed even harder. I just glared and waited for them to stop, drinking the first martini I could say that I was actually able to enjoy.

"It's like the Doctor on a sugar high!" Martha finally managed to get out sending Jack rolling out of his chair to hit the floor. Martha squealed in shock and then broke into more laughter. I felt myself choke on my drink when Jack fell and Owen was patting my back while he and Harley were both in tears from Jack's tumble.

"He - licks- everything!" Jack managed to explain between gulps of hysterical breaths.

"And he runs around everywhere." Martha continued her laughing fit fading enough that she could speak.

"Even when he's not flying the TARDIS. He'll be tinkering with the console and then he'll be in here mumbling something about banana's and then he's reorganizing the entire library and before you can catch up with him he's back in the console room."

"Sounds like you on an energy high." I was looking at Harley as I spoke and she got a mock angry look on her face.

"At least I don't know what furry tastes like!" She shouted at me and barely made it before breaking into laughter again with my surprised guffaw.

"What?" Martha asked through her own chuckles.

"That didn't really happen and you know full well it was Brit who tasted it not me." I shouted back at her though I was still laughing so it wasn't as threatening as I'd hoped.

"Care to explain?" Jack asked still smiling when we'd managed to calm down.

"Brit was a friend of ours. I was crashing at her place for the night and she was a bit slap happy. We were talking about the state of the gas station bathroom which was downright scary. I was telling her about the mold in the toilet and she went off on this one sided conversation we'd have. She was rambling about scientific studies and it should be put in petri-dishes and then her experiments go the insane way resulting in 'what does it taste like?' 'How should I know?...furry.' At which point I break into laughter and ask 'wait, you actually tasted it?" By the end of my explanation the group had gone from disgusted shivers to shaking laughter.

"Tasted what?" The Doctor came back into the room and we were thrown back into fits of giggles as we envisioned the Doctor and his licking habit. Harley was the first to learn to breathe again and that was never a good sign. Rather than explaining she looked at him and asked,

"What does furry taste like?" Those of us who had started breathing again lost it when he actually tried to explain what a furry something would taste like and how it would depend on the substance that was furry because a fuzzy puppy tastes different than say a peach. It took us a good ten minutes to calm down again. Every time we started to the Doctor would ask "what" and we'd be off again. Finally, he stayed quiet until we all were as well and then opened his mouth and we all raised a hand to tell him to stop while we just took steadying gulps of air that we'd been greatly lacking.

"I'm going to sleep before I die from laughing asphyxiation and have to reset my switch." Owen stood and took his dishes to the sink and then headed to the Doctor a smile still on his face. The Doctor just stood there with a confused and possibly hurt look on his face as he waited for someone to explain. Owen shook his head, patted the other mans shoulder and mumbled,

"You don't want to know." The rest of us struggled not to giggle as the Doctor slowly nodded and then turned to lead Owen to his bedroom. Once they were gone I felt the first inkling of my energy high starting so I too stood and crossed to the sink where instead of just placing my dishes in it, I started cleaning them. A quick spin around the kitchen had me gathering up all the dishes that weren't currently in use. It turned out to be a surprisingly large amount as there were pots, pans, plates, bowls, mugs, silverware and spatulas scattered about everywhere.

"What the hell did you guys make while I was out?"

"That would be Jack's breakfast." Martha stood and came over to help me. I handed her a rag to dry with as I started in on the first plate.

"You weren't complaining when you ate it." Jack too came over and started putting things away as Martha finished drying them.

"You make this much of a mess for breakfast?" I questioned disbelief crossing my face as I turned to look at him. He was shifting a bit and I got the impression he was actually embarrassed.

"You should see what he does for dinner when not supervised. It was delicious but I'm pretty sure the TARDIS had to make more dishes." Harley commented also crossing over to us but leaning against the island instead of trying to find room where she could help. That was fine, I didn't really need the help to begin with and I knew she just didn't want to feel excluded being the only one at the table.

"How is that even possible?" I questioned before shaking my head.

"Never mind. I don't really want to know." There was silence for a few minutes while we worked on cleaning up the kitchen. Harley had apparently gotten bored just standing there so she'd found a rag and was now wiping down the counters.

"So, you promised to tell me more about the Carazzi's." Jack finally broke the silence as he placed a dish in a cabinet at my side. I smiled fondly and let my mind drift as I scrubbed at a pot.

"First time I met them, I was a princess. I'd snuck into a local pub to see what the fuss was about and there they were. All six of the brothers taking up an entire corner, laughing and drinking. Excpet for Damian. As soon as I walked in, he'd recognized me. He stayed quiet though, knowing I wasn't supposed to be there. Instead of getting me in trouble, he covered for me and Har, who was a servant girl that worked in my kitchens," I began the story.

"I technically was allowed to be there but it wasn't considered proper for a woman to be in a pub unless she was, you know, working." She hinted and Jack got that flirtatious smirk again instantly clearing up Martha's confused face. She made an 'oh' sound and then went back to drying.

"The boys pulled us over to their table, pretending we were their sisters come to collect them. They let us drink with them for a bit before escorting us back to the castle via a back entrance through the gardens. Of course by this time, we're all plastered, stumbling about and singing. Thankfully, most of the guards were either at the pub too or already sleeping on the job soundly." I chuckled looking to Harley.

"Remember you put a sleeping draught in their evening tea?"

"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten why they were sleeping," she chuckled.

"Anyway, in the middle of the garden was this huge fountain. As we were 'sneaking' past it Damian suddenly picks me up and tosses me in. Har wound up in there with me and then the boys somehow managed to get in and we just played in the water, singing and dancing in the middle of the night on the royal grounds." Jack was smiling with me now and Martha just had this faraway look on her face like she could see it.

"I ended up being executed shortly after."

"Oh, that kind of ruins the happy memory a bit doesn't it?" Martha's face came crashing back to earth.

"Not when it was for sleeping with a man who was both lower standing and not my husband." I commented and she got that girly look that was the equivalent of male pride.

"Next time I ran across the Carazzi's I didn't remember them until Damian and Alexander stripped me down to my underwear and tossed me into the town fountain right in the middle of the square. Since then, doesn't matter what time or place, when we meet, we dance in our underwear and there is somehow always water involved. One time it was just rain in the Bronx."

"How old are the Carazzis?" Martha asked another confused look overtaking her face.

"They're aliens. I don't know the actual species but on earth they created the vampire myths to explain why they aged at a greatly slower rate than humans making them seem ageless." Jack explained this time a goofy grin still on his face as he turned back to me.

"You stripped down in the Bronx and started dancing around in the rain with six strange men who you hadn't known that life yet?"

"Yup." I said nodding and he let out a loud burst of laughter.

"To be fair, once the water and stripping combine I tend to remember who they are. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it. I'm almost never quite that adventurous. I have to at least have met you before dancing half naked in public."

"So, Jack, how'd you come to be immortal anyhow? The Doctor said something about you being human once." Harley changed the subject to my immense relief because I did not want to hear the innuendos Jack would throw out from my comment. He sighed and a serious and sad expression crossed his face.

"There was a girl." He started, "Rose Tyler. She was the Doctor's companion back when I met him the first time. I was born in the fifty-first century, joined the time agency, turned conman and then Rose literally fell onto me. Middle of the London blitz and there's this little blond thing hanging from a barrage balloon, union jack plastered across her t-shirt."

"I bet that just made all your fantasies." I commented and he chuckled and nodded.

"You have no idea. And then the Doctor comes into the picture." His grin grew and the rest of us just shook our heads so he continued.

"He let me tag along for a bit. Him and Rose, you could feel the tension from a mile away. They were both pretending it wasn't there but a blind man could have seen it. Anyway, we wound up on Satellite Five and there was a Dalek armada. The Doctor sent Rose home in the TARDIS to save her life but she somehow managed to bring it back on her own. The Doc says she looked into the time votex, the heart of the TARDIS and it turned her into the Bad Wolf. She reduced all of the Daleks to atoms, brought me back to life and nearly burned up before the Doctor pulled it out of her making him regenerate. I didn't see him again until a long time after that. By then, Rose was gone."

"What happened to her?" Harley asked quietly taking a seat at the island. Jack took a long drink from his glass, draining it like he needed to prepare himself for it.

"She's in another universe, sealed off from this one with her family and a human version of myself created from a metacrisses with a spare hand I had lying about." The Doctor's voice made us all jump and spin to face the door. He looked angry but sad and just blank like the memory was being forced to the back of his mind and the emotions involved sealed off like the universe he'd spoken of.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Harley stammered and the Doctor waived her off.

"You didn't know." I don't think any of us knew if he was talking about the asking of the question or that he'd been present for the conversation of Rose.

"Still, we're sorry." I spoke this time. "We both know what it's like to fall for someone who you shouldn't and then have them torn away from you."

"Eyes?" Martha asked me and I nodded solemnly. "She's happy. She's alive, with her family, and he can give her what I never could. He can spend the rest of his life with her." The Doctor sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than us. I turned off the water, dried my hands and stepped over to him. I stood before him a little awkwardly before raising my arms to pull him into a hug.

"Doesn't make it hurt less." I whispered and he raised his arms to hug me back. I pulled back and grinned at him.

"You handled it better than I did. Last time Eyes was taken away I destroyed an entire system of planets."

"Well, I did kill the last of an ancient species. To be fair though, they were trying to destroy Earth. If it hadn't been for Donna, I don't know what would have happened." His face flashed with sadness again at the mention of the woman he'd told me he'd had to make forget him.

"I thought I was after Rose? Or did this happen after me?" Martha asked trying to lighten the mood but failing miserably due to the topic. I went back to the sink to resume my washing while the Doctor moved to stand beside Harley who wrapped an arm around his waist in a sideways hug that was much more comfortable than my awkward attempt. I just wasn't used to hugging strangers and the Doctor was still a stranger to me. I hadn't grown comfortable enough for the motion to be easy for me. Harley didn't have that problem, she was a huggy person and the Doctor didn't seem to mind as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to lean against him.

"No, I met Donna once before you. She appeared in the TARDIS in her wedding dress." He let an easy grin cross his face at the memory.

"Apparently she'd been getting married. It was called off when the groom tried to kill her and it was revealed he'd been poisoning her from day one for the species I killed."

"Talk about a crappy judge of character." I quipped and he chuckled again, nodding.

"So why wasn't she there when we met? I didn't meet Donna until the Sontarans tried to turn the planet into a cloning factory." Martha questioned again.

"She decided it was too much excitement for her and stayed behind when I offered. After you left, I ran into her again, completely on accident and she'd changed her mind. She had about a dozen bags waiting in the trunk of her car, hat box included, just in case she met me again and she could still come with me." He was full on grinning now and I felt the weight of the room lift as we all chuckled over Donna.

"A hat box?" I asked actually laughing when he nodded.

"Why did she need a hat box?"

"She said it was in case we went to the planet of the hats, she'd be prepared." The Doctor wiped the corner of his eye like he was tearing up from the joy of the memory.

"What about you two? How'd you meet this go 'round?" Jack asked moving the conversation back to Harley and I.

"Our friend Brit, the one with the furry?" Harley started and there was more chuckling before she moved on to avoid a full blown giggle fit and so we wouldn't have to explain to the Doctor as he'd become the butt of the joke.

"I worked with her for a bit. We became friends and she introduced me to Jack."

"I'd been friends with her since high school. We were connected at the hip for years. When she told me about Har, I was hesitant at first but then when I actually met her the first thing she did was show Brit her new crazy socks and I was sold." I was grinning as I glanced over at Harley to see a matching look on her face.

"Crazy socks?" The Doctor questioned leaning back from Harley a bit to look down at her feet as if he could see her socks through her jeans and shoes.

"Yeah, we have a problem with crazy colored and patterned socks. It makes me happy to have that little bit of insanity and color even if I'm the only one who sees it." I explained and Harley nodded along with me. As if to give them an example Harley kicked off her shoe to show a neon orange sock with green and pink stripes running up it. The Doctor and Jack both let out a surprised laugh. Martha just looked at us like we were crazy as Harley put her shoe back on.

"A little bit of light and color in a world that can seem dark and bland at times."

"That's actually really clever." The Doctor beamed with a look in his eyes like he was wondering if he had any crazy socks in his wardrobe room. I was betting if he didn't, he would soon.


	12. Costume Party!!!

The conversation continued to flow freely after that, each of us sharing stories, some funny and some more serious. The air never got quite as heavy as it had when the Doctor entered but by the time I'd finished cleaning up the dishes, we'd covered just about everyone's life in the time frame of Jack meeting the Doctor forward. For Harley and I, it was a bit longer, reaching back into our childhoods of this life and then randomly scattered through time and space like the Doctors. We mainly stayed on this regeneration for him though as the others seemed to make a tense feeling fill the room. Once Jack had put the last dish away and I'd dried my hands on the rag Martha had been using the conversation seemed to slow to halt. Jack had made another martini for myself and him and this time Martha went ahead and accepted his offer to make her one. I was just looking around at our odd little group when it occured to me, Harley was wearing her batman shirt. In fact, everyone had changed since the surgery. Even the Doctor wore a slightly different suit.

"I need to change." I didn't realize I'd spoken the thought out loud until four confused sets of eyes turned to me and I shifted.

"Where did that come from?" Harley was the one to ask the question and I shrugged telling her at least that I hadn't meant to speak aloud.

"You're all changed. I've been in the same outfit for four days now, give or take. Sure I was unconcious but still. I feel kind like I should change." At my explanation the confusion cleared up.

"Does this mean another dance number in the wardrobe room?" Jack couldn't seem to decide if he was dreading or hoping for an affirmative answer when he asked.

"Could be." I shrugged again.

"I deffinitely would like some music while I look around. That does to tend to at least lead to singing."

"As long as I don't have to dance again, I'll come along." Martha moved over to the door where I'd gone and we both turned back to the room. "Anyone else? Poking around in there could kill at least a few hours." I was talking to Harley who was already heading towards me but at my comment the other two moved to follow us as well. Since I didn't know where I was going at this point, as I'd been asleep or led to the room before now, I let the Doctor slide up the corridor to take the lead. Upon entering the TARDIS already had a comfortable volume of music playing throughout the room. It was something from Earth, I knew that much and I vaguely recognized it but I wasn't paying close enough attention to it as Harley and I meandered through the racks closest to us. The Doctor took up a poosition on a bench beside a full length mirror with Martha browsing through a rack next to ours and Jack seemingly playing with various hats.

"Hey, Har, look at this! I have these boots!" I had to shout just a little for her to hear me as I'd wandered to the other side of the room from her. Her head popped around the side of her rack and I held up a pair of thick clunky combat boots. She grinned and then held up a black leather jacket.

"Look what I found." She waved the jacket around a bit and I saw the Doctor tense up just a bit from my place closer to the bench.

"Black leather and combat boots? Did you used to be a bad ass Doctor?" I asked with a grin and he spun on me an offended look covering his face.

"What do you mean used to?" He questioned making Harley and I laugh as we went back to browsing.

"He was all cranky leather and big ears when I met him. Didn't I say that?" Jack asked trying on a cowboy hat.

"I was not cranky." The Doctor's offended look spun to Jack who just raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Well, I wasn't always cranky."

"He was much more intimidating then." Jack went back to talking like the man of discussion wasn't sitting right there. The look on the Doctors face changed and Martha backed away slowly.

"Oh, he's giving you the Oncoming Storm look. I think you made him mad." She said pretending to be scared even as she grinned. Harley and I both jumped to get a clear look at his face and then Harley grinned and I shivered.

"Look at those eyes. Those are sexy eyes. All angry and 'I'll destroy you without even breaking a sweat'. I have eyes like that." I turned to look at Harley who also turned and nodded.

"Of course, mine tend to have more actual bloodshed in them."

"Yeah, his just kind of have a lot of fire and explosions. Quick deaths. Ours tend to be a bit slower." She mused before crossing to a different set of hangers. I shrugged, made a 'hm' noise and went in the opposite direction of her.

"I don't think I've ever seen a confused Oncoming Storm." Jack said with a low chuckle coming to stand at my side and flip through different pastel button-ups.

"We have that effect on scary things." I shrugged again.

"It happens when you're used to being the scariest things in the room."

"You think you're scarier than him?" Martha asked joining us on my other side a long flowy skirt in her hands.

"I've destroyed entire worlds." The Doctor finally got off the bench and walked over to a shelf somewhere between Harley and I. "You said it yourself, it's one of my names."

"We've destroyed Universes. As in plural." Harley shot back with a grin.

"How do you destroy a universe?" Jack asked.

"Simple, you don't save it from yourself." I answered and he nodded like that made sense and the Doctor did too.

"Jack!" Harley shouted excitedly making both Jack and I spin to look at her shocked expressions our faces. My face broke into a grin when I saw her at the hat shelves with a green Robin Hood hat in her hands.

"We're men." I started singing and she joined in when I continued the 'Men In Tights' song from Mel Brooks' movie.

"Men in tights. We roam around the forest looking for fights."

"We're men. Manly men." Jack jumped in to our surprise with a full blown gay man 'Yes!' direct from the movie and neither of us could continue through our laughing. And then it got worse when the Doctor joined the show beside Jack.

"We may look like pansies, but don't take us wrong or else we'll put out your lights. We're men." They both continued singing and mimicking the dance moves to the point even Martha was rolling on the grating of the oversized closet.

"Men in tights, we're butch!" They finished and I literally couldn't see and it hurt I was laughing so hard. I was pretty sure Harley was going to pass out her face was so red from air deprivation.

"I love Mel Brooks." The Doctor exclaimed when they'd finished their dance number straightening up and grinning like a madman.

"Brilliant bloke, really." It took a few more minutes for us to calm down again and regain our feet and then Harley couldn't look away from the hat.

"I'll never look at one of these without seeing that again."

"I know right?" I couldn't help the chuckle that left me as she put it away and then covered it with a floppy sun hat to hide it from sight.

"So you finding anything you want to wear?" Jack asked after a few more minutes of quiet browsing.

"Lots of stuff. I just don't think any of it's day wear. More like dress up, let's have a costume party wear." I said holding up a ball gown and matching mask as an example.

"We could, you know, have a costume party. It's not like there's anything better to do." The Doctor commented after a moment when I put the dress back.

"If we're doing that, I want to see this bad ass Doctor." Martha said finding the leather jacket again and bringing it over to him.

"Oo, yeah. Let's see that." Harley hopped over to him and grabbed another pair of combat boots that were similar to the other ones but not the ones I'd grabbed and threw them at his feet while she bounced away to find more to dress him in.

"But it's so big. I'm much smaller in this body." The Doctor whined slightly taking the jacket anyway.

"Just do as we say. It ends better for you in the long run." I warned bringing a pair of dark faded jeans over to him.

"But..." He tried and then Harley was back with a hand over his mouth and a dark green shirt in her hand.

"No buts or I'll strip you down here and yours will be out for Jack to ogle," she threatened. His eyes got wide, shot to me where I shrugged in a 'told you' manner and then he took the shirt. Jack let out a disappointed sigh and slouched down onto the bench the Doctor had been on while said man made his way to a little curtained off dressing area the TARDIS had installed since our last visit.

"Nine hundred year old time lord and being bossed around by two humans in their twenties." He grumbled under his breath while he changed.

"Two demons who are eons older than you thank you very much." Harley corrected.

"Now stop your whining or the next one will be worse. We might just have to see how you're legs look in heels and a skirt. We already know Jack can pull it off." Silence greeted this newest threat as those outside of the curtain struggled not to make their chuckles heard. Finally, the curtain was pushed aside and the Doctor emerged in the clothes his previous regeneration had been partial too. He'd been right, the coat was far too big for him. The rest of it though, we'd tried to find closer to his size and we seemed to have succeeded. Jack whistled and Martha pretended to fan herself with a dropped jaw. The Doctor looked down at himself and then crossed to the mirror. His confused look just got bigger at what he saw. Harley and I tilted our heads together and just stared at the Doctor's back admiringly.

"Very nice." I commented and Jack fell off the bench to get a look for himself making the Doctor spin around and turn that confused look on us. We straightened up quickly, struggling for blank faces as we nodded at the look.

"Very rock star. Mess up the hair a little more, add some eye liner. You could be very bad ass."

"With eye liner?" He sounded like he didn't believe make-up would make him look more intimidating and I grinned.

"You can take my word for it or we can prove it." I offered and he shook his head rapidly like he had when I asked if we would be left at Torchwood.

"I'll take your word for it." He promised. I nodded with an added 'Good call'; before turning to Jack. Harley shifted with me, Martha joined us and we all crossed our arms and gave him a calculating look.

"I don't think I like that look." He stood up so he was beside the Doctor like the leathered man could protect him.

"Usually, three beautiful women paying that close attention to me would be a dream come true but something about that look..."

"Well, don't think I'll save you." The Doctor shifted away from the man quickly.

"I don't want to know what they'll do in retaliation if I help you."

"He really is a genius isn't he?" Harley asked looking at Martha who nodded, grinning widely.

"Don't know why he thinks we're done with him though, just cause we're focusing on Jack." I commented my eyes never leaving the Captain.

"What?" The Doctor's voice squeaked out.

"It is a conundrum." Harley agreed.

"What?" A little higher squeal.

"We could do a couple outfit!" I finally turned to look at the other two who both had Cheshire Cat grins on their faces.

"What?" This time the tone was lower, filled with disbelief and echoed by Jack's voice before we all broke into laughter.

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Who said it was a joke? Sure it was funny, but I was being serious." I told them wiping the beginning of their grins off their faces.

"But we'll save that for later. Let's focus on us for a bit." The next four hours was spent playing dress up in the TARDIS wardrobe room. We kept getting distracted by funny or gorgeous outfit ideas that led to each of us having our very own fashion shows, catwalk included once we found it on one of the upper floors. Finally, everyone changed back into their normal clothes and I found an outfit reminiscent of the Doctor's last incarnation, jacket and boots included. When I came out from the cubicle and the rest were waiting for me, I got a bunch of raised eyebrows and a scolding look from the Doctor.

"Now you're just mocking me." He grumbled at me and I grinned.

"No, mocking you would be if I suddenly started talking with an accent." My voice slid seamlessly to an English accent as I spoke making Martha and Harley choke back a laugh.

"He sounded like he was from the north actually." Jack advised and I nodded.

"How's this? Better?" I asked changing my accent again and Jack nodded grinning broadley.

"Ok, that's enough of that." The Doctor sounded like he was actually losing his patience with me so I let the accent drop and spoke in my normal voice.

"Sorry. I wasn't actually mocking you. This is just comfortable for me." I tried explaining. When he still looked like he didn't believe me I turned to Harley for help.

"Actually, it kind of looks like your bum clothes. You know somewhere between dressing up and running around in pj's." She commented for me tilting her head just a bit like she wasn't trying to save my ass and was just considering my outfit.

"That's bum?" Martha asked astonished.

"You look like you're ready to get into a fight with a bunch of bikers."

"Like I said, bum." Harley grinned at the woman's confused look.

"Violent American," the Doctor clued her in repeating his words when he'd broken into my apartment. Martha 'ah'd' and nodded like that explained everything. In a way, it did, so I didn't argue it.

"Well, my drink ran dry a while ago and I need a refill so I suggest we migrate back to the kitchen." I moved to head that way and heard the muttered agreements from everyone but the Doctor. I'd made sure to remember the way as we'd headed to the wardrobe room so I could repeat it to get back to the kitchen. When I made the second turn and didn't see the landmarks I'd mentally mapped, I got confused and stopped.

"She's moved it again. It's down this way," the Doctor explained for me when I he saw my lost expression and took the lead again.

"How do you ever find anything?" I asked as I followed almost beside him.

"She leads me to where I want to go. I just tend to wander until I'm where I'm meant to be." He explained and I nodded.

"And how do people who aren't telepathically connected to your ship with a nine hundred year old bond find anything?" I questioned and he grinned over at me telling me it involved a lot of wandering, his presence or they didn't all in one expression. I nodded again and looked back ahead of us. This time when we reached the kitchen, I recognized the entrance but the inside was completely different. It looked more like what hollywood would describe as a pub with dark cherry woods and green lamps hanging above a bar. I could see a stove behind the bar and a small fridge but it was predominately cabinets of munchy food and bottles of various liquors from across the universe. I heard the Doctor groan beside me and shake his head as we stepped into the room.

"Of course she'd encourage you," he grumbled some more taking a seat on the corner stool.

"She seems to be doing that a lot with you two. Making rooms just for you, encouraging you, making sure you're comfortable. I don't think she's ever taken to someone quite so quickly before. Even I had some trouble with her at first, but then I did steal her. And then there's you two. She didn't need any time to warm up to you."

"Maybe she's trying to tell you something." I mumbled as I slid behind the bar to get a closer look at the bottles trying to find anything I recognized.

"Maybe." He was looking between Harley and I like we were some kind of puzzle he was having a really hard time figuring out. We tried to ignore him while I fixed up some drinks making sure to put less of the whiskey I'd found in Harley's cup so she wouldn't get drunk very quickly. I'd figured out how to proportion her drinks through a lot of trial and error, hangovers, and pairs of shoes that should never be worn again for what they went through. The benefit of it being, we could actually drink together now without her having to quit long before me.

"Maybe it has something to do with your demons. How are we supposed to go about making you safe anyhow?"

"I dunno." Harley sipped at her drink and finally started paying attention to the Doctor again.

"You're the genius. We're just demons."

"But you've never had it manifest like that before?" He questioned that complicated equations tone to his voice again.

"Not like that no. We've had our eyes flash, power bursts, freaky possession type scenarios but never something that..." I tried to find the word and came up short.

"Intense? Definitive?" Harley supplied and I nodded.

"Reggie might know. She's come the closest to having a full on manifestation before this." I was talking to Harley now as we both considered.

"Who's Reggie?" Jack asked moving to lean one side on the bar beside me with his own glass of what looked like sotch in his hand, resting on the wood.

"Our friend. She's like us. I met her in high school too. She's been my best friend since freshman year." I told him turning my head to look at him but keeping the rest of me leaning forwards on the bar before Harley.

"I thought Harley was your best friend." Martha sat between the Doctor and Harley her martini from earlier still in front of her, close to empty.

"Harley is my sister. Reggie's been family on and off depending on distance and time between us but she's always been my friend. She's there to listen when I need her or get drunk with or hide a body with. She's the one when you get arrested, she's sitting next to you going 'damn that was fun' while we wait for someone to pay our bail." I smiled wider and wider as I spoke of our friend and I saw Harley doing the same.

"You have very odd friends. And dangerous by the sounds of it." She commented finishing off her drink. Jack stood and stepped around me to refill her glass.

"You're one to talk. At least they're just waiting on bail and stashing bodies. You're friends are an immortal time agent, a time lord and a dead guy," he shot in our defense and she got an offended look.

"There's Mickey. Mickey's my friend. He's not Torchwood or the Doctor or UNIT. At least not yet. He's still training." Her face got more contemplative as she thought further on it.

"Oh my God. I don't have a single 'safe' friend."

"And now you can add two demons to the mix." Harley pat her shoulder encouragingly and Martha just gave us surprised eyes before she focused in on me and asked, "Really?"

"Yeah. Don't see why not. I'd be glad to call the one word humanity saving champ my friend." I smiled at her and she seemed to understand that me and friends was a hard thing to achieve because she smiled sweetly at me and nodded.

"What am I? Chopped liver? Don't I get to be a friend?" Jack asked a hurt tone as he placed a hand on his chest.

"You wanna be chopped liver? I think we could probably do that." I said sliding my eyes to him without moving anything else. His hurt look actually grew into a serious one and then he spoke.

"You would really chop up a face this pretty?" He asked.

"I didn't say anything about chopping up the Doctor." I shot back and his jaw dropped while the rest of them laughed. I grinned to let him know I was joking and then stood up straight to fully face him.

"Nah, I consider anyone who can see my demon come out and doesn't run screaming to be a friend."

"Well, technically, we did run screaming but only because talking normally is really hard mid-sprint." The Doctor grinned as he said it and I couldn't help grinning back.

"Does it count if we ran screaming too?" Harley asked confused.

"Of course it does. We can't be friends with ourselves anymore because we're a bunch of sissies." I told her and she got a look like I'd just kicked her puppy.

"All these centuries I stuck by you and now we can't be friends because we ran from ourselves? That hardly seems fair." She pouted and I chuckled.

"What if we just say anyone who runs terrified away from our demons isn't a friend?" I asked and she brightened.

"Sounds good." She had a slightly child like tone as she turned to the other three.

"Okay, we can be friends now."

"Glad to hear it." Jack answered swinging an arm around my shoulders and tugging me into his side. I tensed instantly but he held on until I realized I wasn't in any danger and if I wanted to be friends with him I was going to have to get used to a hands on relationship, at least with him. When I relaxed he glanced down at me with a proud grin before looking back to the others.

"But that still doesn't answer my question." The Doctor got a bunch of blank looks as we tried to remember what his question had been. He rolled his eyes and tried again.

"How could Reggie help us figure out how to make you safe?"

"Oh, that. She's come the closest to a full blown manifestation before now." I scrunched up my forehead and looked up at Jack.

"I did say that already didn't I?"

"Yeah." He nodded giving the Doctor a 'where were you' face.

"But how does that help? Does she know how to control it?" He questioned like we were the thick ones.

"No, but she might have some pointers on where to start." I answered in the same tone. He seemed to think about it for a minute.

"What else can we do? It's not like there's an owner's manual for these things." Harley pointed out and that finally made him sigh and nod.

"Don't worry. It won't be that bad. Reggie's actually kind of mellow most of the time compared to us."

"A cracked out chihuahua is more mellow than you two." Martha pointed out and it was our turn for the offended looks and then mine turned contemplative.

"She's right." I sounded like the news shocked me as my eyes went to the bar and then up to meet Harley's.

"I'm manic."

"And this is news?" Jack asked pulling away a little.

"Yeah, actually. Before the Doctor showed up in the apartment I had a hard time feeling just about anything I'd gone so numb. I haven't been numb since that first afternoon. First time in half a year I haven't been as good as dead." I was mumbling more to myself by the end of my explanation, my eyes not focused on anything as I thought through the past five to six days.

"That's a good thing dear. Embrace it." Harley reminded me and I snapped back into reality with a shake of my head.

"Right. Sorry." I apologized and got some sympathetic smiles and a slight squeeze from Jack.

"So, now what? We still have a good thirteen hours before Owen wakes up." Martha asked cheking her watch after a minute of group silence.

"Who said we had to stay here the entire time he slept? We could go grab Reggie and come back here." I suggested grinning again.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've kidnapped her."

"When was that?" Harley asked and I remembered it was before I'd met her.

"Just after high school. I had this whole cover story set up. She'd said she wanted an out from this party she'd been forced to so I made up some emergency where I was in big trouble and really needed her help. We wound up behind a Walmart with a group of our friends jumping out at her. Someone pulled a pillowcase over her head so she wouldn't see us and then another held her hands behind her back and used a zip tie to bind her. The whole time I'm shouting for her and making struggle noises until someone messed it up by breaking into giggles and she caught on." I told the story and fought not to laugh at the astonished looks on everyone but Harley's face.

"You staged a kidnapping?" Jack asked his arm finally dropping from my shoulders in shock.

"Yup. Would've worked too if that one idiot boyfriend hadn't screwed it up. He wasn't even supposed to be there but Brit insisted since she was screwing him." I grumbled crossing my arms as it was my turn to pout. After another minute of Harley grinning, me pouting and the others getting over their shock, Jack threw both his arms around me.

"Marry me." He said into my hair and I could hear the laughter in his voice. Martha joined in the chuckles with the Doctors and I let my pout drop.

"As fun as that sounds, I think having someone new on board when Owen wakes up would be a bad idea." The Doctor managed to stay stony faced as we tried everything to get him to change his mind. Now that I'd brought it up, they all wanted to try and kidnap Reggie. He stayed firm though and we finally settled on watching movies in his theatre room which had access to every movie ever made.


	13. Freak Outs and Tests.

It only took about an hour and a half for me to start feeling my death again. That was the downside of a coma. I could only last so long before getting tired again. And after so long without a proper rest due to my insomnia it was my body's way of trying to reset it's sleep cycle. We still had a good hour left in the alien movie we were watching and I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. The Doctor's lectures about how with the planet the film was made on, the aliens weren't really aliens but more like immigrants and the movie was actually a love story weren't helping me at all. I finally gave up and yawned loudly. Harley just laughed at me and then moved off the couch she'd been sharing with Jack and I to go sit on the loveseat with Martha, tossing a throw blanket at me. I laughed a little at the thoughts in my head making Jack and the Doctor give me a curious look as they were the only ones that heard me.

"Sorry. My brain is thinking that throw blankets got the name because they're never passed to you, always thrown." I mumbled putting my feet up on Harley's vacated spot and covering my lap with the blanket. The Doctor chuckled and then continued watching the movie. Jack just watched me struggle to find a comfortable position for a bit. He apparently got tired of that and pulled me into him with an arm around my shoulders again using his hand to force my head onto his shoulder. Another slight shift on my part and I had to admit I was infinitely more comfortable.

"Thanks."

"You've got to get over this aversion to casual touching. Especially now that we're friends." He commented and Harley and Martha both let out loud guffaws of shock as their heads spun to us.

"You realize coming out of your mouth that just sounds...dirty." I tensed as soon as the words left his mouth and he thought about it for a second before I felt the low rumble of his laughter vibrate through me.

"It wasn't meant that way for once. If you wanted..."he began but I interupted.

"Don't make me move just to hit you." I warned him before getting serious again.

"It's just a habit. I have a people phobia. Large groups or new people make me nervous. Too many deaths caused by strangers and mobs. It takes a while for me to get comfortable enough for closeness. Even Harley gives me problems when she hugs me from time to time. I've been working on it for years. I've gotten to the point where I can be in a crowd but my paranoia is still really bad."

"Well, you can trust me. If I do anything to hurt you, you can kill me...twice." He bargained and I moved my head to look up at him.

"Three times." I bartered and he thought about it for a second before nodding. We shared a grin and then I laid back down, my muscles relaxing more than they had before. Another ten minutes of quiet conversation around me and alien dialects from the movie and I was asleep. I woke up to being moved. Specifically, I was being carried down a corridor. I hadn't opened my eyes yet but I knew exactly where I was but not who was carrying me. My heart rate skyrocketed and I felt my body ready itself for a fight in an instant. My eyes snapped open and I was just suddenly pinning whoever'd been carrying me against the grating of the hall I'd been moving through a second ago. It took a minute for me to realize there was a terrified Jack lying under me but despite the fear in his eyes he didn't make a move to defend himself or attack me. That more than anything clued me in that something was wrong and a minute more to realize that something was me. I quickly backed off of Jack until my back hit a coral support beam slightly poking out from the wall putting me in a tiny corner. My breathing and heart rate hadn't decreased any and I felt my hands running along my face, the shaking making it harder for me to tell what I was feeling. My teeth had sharpened into cat like fangs, light bumps surrounded my eyes, and I knew without seeing that my eyes were somewhere between a dark red and black. Once I'd finished that I actually looked at the still shaking limbs that had performed the search. My skin had gone a frosty black with long obsidian like talons growing where my fingernails had been a moment ago. A twitch at my back had me jerking to see a tail flailing slightly as it waved back and forth like it was taking a breath after being suffocated. A movement in front of me had me spinning back around again to see Jack hovering close to me but still just out of my reach. He was kneeling with both hands raised, palms towards me mumbling soothing words that I couldn't seem to make out until I actually focused on him.

"It's okay, Jacky. It's me. It's Jack. We're friends right? I'm not running so we're friends. I was just taking you to a bedroom to rest properly. It's okay. You're fine." He steadily got closer to me until he was hugging me tightly to his chest and I realized I was shaking because I was crying.

"What happened? We heard a scream. Is everyone okay?" The Doctor rushed into the hall and I felt myself startle again but Jack held me tightly and kept murmuring calming words to me.

"What is that?" Martha asked when she too got into sight of us and Harley was there a second later and then she was moving to kneel beside us.

"Not what. Who. Jacky, honey. It's Har. You're safe now. It's okay. No one's attacking us." She soothed me as well, her hand moving to pet my hair and I felt my teeth and nails shifting back to normal, my tail disappearing. A few deep breaths and I was officially hiding my face in Jack's chest and trying to wipe away the tears without anyone noticing.

"What happened?" The Doctor came over and kneeled in front of us looking at my eyes and I knew he was looking for any more changes.

"I don't know. She was sound asleep and then she was shifting and I was pinned to the floor. It happened so fast." Jack tried to explain and my eyes went to Harley a pleading look filling them.

"My second sight kicked in while I was out." I told her and she nodded and closed her eyes, the situation dawning on her and she looked to the others to explain for me.

"Jack can see with her eyes closed. It's her second sight. She can be blindfolded in a pitch black room and still see everything in perfect detail. She was still asleep when it happened and all her brain registered was that she was being hauled down an unfamiliar hallway by a person who, due to proximity, she couldn't identify. Her paranoia jerked into full gear and because of the excess energy still running through her, she shifted." Harley looked to me to ask if she'd gotten it right and I nodded, my head lowering to look at the floor.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I wasn't hurt so there was literally no harm done." Jack had a finger under my chin raising my eyes to look at his. I gave him a small wobbly smile before looking back at Martha and the Doctor.

"I'm not getting out of those tests now am I?" I asked the Doctor a more normal tone returning to my voice. He shook his head a small grin crossing his very severe face.

"We need to get as much data as we can gathered while your still freshly shifted so maybe we can isolate what causes them." He tried explaining waiting where he was for me to be ready to move.

"Fear. I was scared shitless both times. I'd say fear causes it. Does that count?" I knew I sounded miserable and I couldn't help but think it really reflected what I was feeling at that moment. It just got worse when the Doctor shook his head again.

"Good information to have but not specific enough. I'm sorry." He reached a hand out to me and as I reached out to take it and resign myself to the testing I saw my skin change from the frosty black it had still been to the normal slightly tanned white my human usually had. A quick glance at the Doctor's face showed he was even more interested as he helped me to my feet and kept staring at my eyes.

"They haven't changed back yet have they?" I asked him when he didn't move to take me to the med bay but kept watching my eyes.

"They're bleeding back to brown. It's slow going but they are fading back to your human color." He informed me before actually looking at me as a whole person.

"We'd better get some of these tests done quick while it's still fresh."

"That doesn't sound at all unnatural." I grumbled letting him pull me down the hall, his hand still gripping mine.

"You get used to unnatural around here." Jack was beside me taking my other hand and rubbing small circles on the back of my hand. I gave him a serious look and just let the Doctor guide me.

"Thank you." There was so much in those two words that I was thanking him for. It was for helping me, for not running, for trying to take me to bed, for still being my friend and he seemed to understand every one of them as he gave me a soft smile.

"What are friends for?" His question made moisture return to my eyes and I looked away from him, clearing my throat and fighting them off.

"So, what tests are we doing?" I asked as we entered the med bay just so the Doctor would go off on a long winded ramble and I wouldn't be expected to talk for a bit. Harley gave me a conspiratorial smile as she asked questions throughout the rant just to prolong it for me. Martha was helping him to hook up wires and draw blood giving me that 'I'm a doctor so I can be trusted' smile that all physicians seemed to have.

"What the bloody hell is going on? I was looking everywhere and no one was anywhere." Owen's voice preceded his entrance to the room. He still looked a bit groggy but over all much more alive than I'd seen him since that first night we met. Then his eyes landed on me and he instantly tensed and woke up completely.

"What happened?"

"Jack scared her on accident and she shifted in a nut shell." Harley filled him in as he too, went to wash his hands and moved to help Martha.

"So, in this scenario, which of you would be my primary?" I asked when all three were huddled around me at once with various tools, wires, and needles.

"Well, I am The Doctor so I think that gives me the right to claim the main position." He was only paying half attention as he read the screen beside me his hand waving some kind of scanner over me repeatedly.

"Yeah, but I've got more experience with the random dying now that I've actually experienced it." Owen argued back. It seemed Martha was just going to let them argue it out as she focused on pulling another vial of blood from my arm.

"I've got more experience with multiple lives, different races and hundreds of years of actual medical practice," the Doctor responded not even bothering to glance at Owen. Jack made a dinging noise and then mocked a ring announcer with a loud "we have a winner".

"Yup. It's Martha." I announced and this time all three of them stopped what they were doing to look at me. "You can multitask with the best of 'em Doctor but Martha was the one who kept her undivided attention on her patient. She gets extra Kudos which puts her in the primary position. You can assisst her by translating all your fancy tests."

"You want the woman who couldn't think of a pacemaker as your primary?" He questioned and Martha let out an offended,

"Oi, niether did you."

"I didn't say who I wanted. I'm just saying who won that round and where you all are in the running." I told him and he got a confused grin on his face.

"I'm in last?" Owen asked the offended tone in his voice. "Your argument was invalid as your patient is still teaching you your point. Plus the same thing that put Martha in the lead put you in last. Your attention was completely diverted first." I explained and he sighed in resignation. A small beeping pulled their attention back to their tests and I grinned over at Harley and Jack where they stood out of the way but still close enough to feel like they were keeping me company. A half hour later, the Doctor finally seemed satisfied that he'd run all the tests he could and turned his attention to me instead of the machines. I got the feeling this was going to be another 'I'm talking to my shrink' conversation so I took a deep breath and braced myself for the question I knew he had. What he said surprised me.

"We need to go see Reggie."

"That's it?" I asked just to verify that was what he'd given me that look for, the air rushing out of my lungs.

"I thought you were gonna say something serious."

"I am serious. If she has any clue on how to control your demons, we need to know it before someone does get hurt. All the tests are saying that as long as that energy is contained in you it will keep bursting out in high adrenaline circumstances. Alien planet or not, and since you feed on chaos it'll just keep refueling itself everytime you shift." His tone was deathly serious as he kept on proving my earlier flippancy pointless.

"We need to know if there's a safe way to release the energy."

"So, to Reggie it is." I finally said hopping off the table. I knew what she was going to say. It was the same thing I'd say. But I needed to hear it from her and maybe I'd get lucky and she'd know of something safer because the only thing I could think of to release the chaos building inside me was to use it. But that usually led to the natural disasters, car accidents and genocide Harley had been talking about back at the apartment and that wasn't going to go over well. I didn't have a problem with going to see my oldest friend. Right now she held all my hopes in her hands without even knowing it. But that was another paranoid habit of mine; I could hope for the best but I would plan for the worst.


	14. Reggie

It took us all of five minutes to get back to the console room, set the coordinates to Reggie's neighborhood and give the quick and dirty version of how to approach Reggie since we couldn't kidnap her. Owen had agreed wholeheartedly to trying that method once he'd heard it but the Doctor veto'd and finally won with the threat that we'd all be taken home if we tried it. Thankfully Harley remembered the address too because I had forgotten she'd moved back into the country and would have had us materializing in downtown Columbus Ohio if it had been left to me. We were all in normal clothes so we didn't have to wait any longer to go see her and so we all ambled out of the TARDIS and headed up the walkway to the front door, the blue box parked in the driveway next to Reggie's jeep like it was meant to be there. Harley and I stepped to the side of the door, out of view of the window's and the door. We knew Reggie well enough to know how she would react and since we couldn't kidnap her the Doctor had agreed to letting us have a little fun with her. The Doctor and Owen stood behind Jack and Martha, the Doctor almost hiding behind Jack and keeping his eyes averted like he wanted to pretend he wasn't there so he could claim plausible deniability. Jack knocked on the door and then turned just a little to further block us and let Owen step forward a bit. The door cracked open a couple inches and I heard Reggie's cautious voice filter out.

"Yes, can I help you?" She had a pleasant voice. Not to high pitch but feminine non-the-less. She used to sing soprano with me in our high school choir and she'd never quiet lost her sound. She was very...melodic I guess was the word, and now that melody was very much a country girl warning. We'd better have something good to say or she'd introduce us to her shotgun type of warning. I missed her.

"Regina Edwards? I'm Owen Harper from Torchwood. This is Martha Jones from UNIT. We're here about a couple associates of yours." Owen was taking the lead since Jack was hiding us and the Doctor was still examining the side of the house. The door swung open and sure enough, I caught a glimpse of Reggie standing there, her shotgun loose in her hand.

"What did they do now?" She had a resigned tone to her voice like she got these kinds of house calls all the time. That had me piping up, shoving past Jack to stand in front of her.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Reg. Good to know what you really think. What if they'd come to tell you we were dead?" I asked her continuing to talk through her squeal and only stopping when she launched herself at me. Thankfully, Harley was there too, grabbing the shotgun and handing it off to Jack so when Reggie stopped squeezing the life out of me and turned to her none of us would get shot.

"Well, what am I supposed to think? Torchwood and UNIT show up at my door asking about you and I'm supposed to assume you're not in trouble?" She pulled back from Harley to look at her seriously for a minute.

"You're not in trouble right?" Harley shook her head in confirmation with a grin and Reggie pulled her back into the hug. When she finally pulled back and looked at the rest of us, she got distracted by Jack.

"And who are you?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you." He took her hand with a devilish smirk and kissed the back of it making her give me a shocked questioning look as if to say 'is he serious'.

"Captain huh? From what century exactly?" She asked a flirty tone taking over her voice as she examined his jacket.

"All of them." He flirted right back in true Jack fashion and I knew they'd keep going except that Martha coughed with an annoyed undertone somehow pushing through and Reggie's attention was brought back to us.

"Sorry. So you're not in trouble but you're with Torhwood and UNIT and dropped by for a friendly visit? Not that I don't miss you guys, but how did you even get here? I didn't hear you're car pull up." At this point she looked at the driveway and saw the TARDIS her eyes shooting back to us instantly when she realized what it was.

"Is that?"

"THE Blue Box? Yes." I answered her taking a step back and placing myself halfway behind Jack in the hopes she'd get distracted again. Harley was behind me as we watched Reggie's eyes shoot from the box to the group and us hiding. Finally, she landed on the Doctor.

"Is he?" She asked again, her eyes never leaving the now shifty time lord.

"Yes?" Harley answered this time and the hesitation in her voice caught Reggie's attention again. This time when she spun on us there was a fury in her eyes that made me step just a little more behind the Captain.

"You're with Torchwood and UNIT and the DOCTOR who brought you here in his box that if memory serves makes a point of making sure we don't EXIST and you tell me you're not in trouble? And stop hiding damnit! He's cute but he won't stop me and you know it." She ranted and Harley and I hung our heads and came out from behind our sheild.

"We really aren't in trouble." I tried feeling very much like a scolded teenager in front of mommy. Of course, Reggie was a mom so she had that effect.

"They really aren't." The Doctor added in finally speaking up.

"Well, not anymore. Well, not like that."

"Inside, explain, and give me my gun back." She ordered pulling the door open again and pointing us all into her house. Even Jack, and Owen looked like children as we ambled into the living room and lined up waiting for Reggie to join us. She locked her gun back up and hollered to her son to stay in his room for a bit and then turned to us, crossing her arms and waiting.

"Okay, so five days ago," I began quickly.

"Six." Harley interupted and I shot her a glance and then continued.

"Six days ago, I get out of the shower and there's the box in our living room and he's just sitting on the couch."

"I was listening to show tunes. I like show tunes." The Doctor adds, trying to help and I nod before going on again.

"We tell him who and what we are and he doesn't kill us. Instead, he takes me to Torchwood to confirm our story."

"That's where we met. I have experience with your kind to an extent. I met the boogey man once." Jack put in his two cents.

"Who hasn't?" Reggie shrugged off his proud look and his face fell just a little before I continued.

"So then, we go back to the apartment to get Harley because she'd been asleep when we went 'cause my insomnia is acting up again and then she was at work so we killed some time with a random Disney musical type thing and then Har came home and we had a dance party and went back to Torchwood." As I spoke my words got faster and faster so I was able to get the whole thing out in one breath. Reggie just nodded while Martha gave me wide almost scared eyes.

"But it had been a few months for them, in which time Owen had died." The Doctor seemed to be the only one other than Harley and Reggie who was able to keep up with me and they could only do it because they were used to me doing this in my more manic phases.

"Wait, you're dead?" Reggie asked stopping me from talking and giving Owen a confused look. He shrugged.

"Only half dead now, I guess. They fixed me." He halfway explained and Reggie looked to Harley for an answer.

"He didn't have a pulse so Jacky suggested getting him a pacemaker and the Doctor knew of an alien one that would bring him back to life but he's useful dead so they rigged it to have an on/off switch that he hides under his shirt." She explained almost talking as fast as me.

"Very Iron Man." She gave an approving nod and Harley agreed with an enthusiastic, "I know right?"

"So we had to go get the pacemaker and while we were there, we ran into some trouble and long story short, Harley and I are now experiencing full blown demon manifestations that are building up chaotic energy that we can't safely get rid of and we need to know if you know a way to get rid of said energy or control mentioned manifestations." I finished off in another breath and Reggie looked between all of us before taking a deep breath and falling back onto her couch.

"How full blown we talking?" She finally questioned after a minute of complete silence while she processed.

"Like I had wings and Jacky got super strength." Harley answered taking a seat beside Reggie like she was exhausted.

"And then later I wound up with a tail and black skin." I plopped down on her other side much more energetically than the other two.

"Like a tail, tail?" Reggie was giving me that same shocked look she'd given Owen and I nodded emphatically.

"Full length, twitching with it's own life tail." She let out an astonished breath that I'm pretty sure was actually a 'wow' before standing again and announcing

"I need a cigarette."

"Is that your species solution to all surprises?" The Doctor questioned following Harley, Reggie and I to her back porch where Reggie and I both lit up.

"No, just them. I'm not a smoker." Harley seemed just a little bit offended by being lumped together with us in that regard.

"I like to think of it this way, nicotine helps calm me and I'm not gonna live long enough to die of cancer so why not?" I explained my reasoning and the Doctor still gave me that look all doctor's give smokers.

"Don't try." Reggie stopped him from arguing.

"Tell her she can't do something, she does it just to prove you wrong."

"It's not even intentional most of the time. At least not conciously." I added exhaling a stream of smoke, a contemplative look on my face.

"So, what do you think?" Harley asked closing the door to the inside so we could talk in relative privacy and signaling to Reggie that it was fine to speak in front of the Doctor.

"I don't know dude. I've never had a full blown one like that before. I've had my demon literally grow a voice of it's own and speak through me, my eyes change and a power shadow but never a physical change like that." She still sounded just a little overwhelmed like she was still trying to take it all in.

"What's a power shadow?" The Doctor looked like he was keeping up with the conversation other than that which was a little surprising since this wasn't his area of expertise as we weren't aliens.

"It's like a shimmer surrounding you, showing your demonic form but your physical body is still visible as well and it's made up of pure energy." Harley explained for him and he nodded with an interested look that said he wanted to see that.

"They're kind of hard to force and usually only done when trying to intimidate a stronger species in an effort to not fight."

"They do use up a lot of energy though." Reggie was giving me that look that I had predicted she would.

"They're not especially dangerous and it would drain some of the power."

"Except for that whole, it causes chaos and I feed off it. Power shadows usually lead to an energy boost for me since I don't necessarily need physical contact to feed like you two." I had to admit I'd forgotten about the Doctor for a minute as Reggie and I talked so when he piped up with a "What do you mean feed" I was a little startled.

"We don't just absorb and manipulate the energy all around us. We need it to survive. If our personal energy gets too low, we can transfer energy through other things. Harley and I have to touch people, use their personal energy to replenish our own. It doesn't hurt them any since most people don't even know the energy exists and we don't have to take a lot to get our own to start multiplying again. Jacky here though, since she's a Bringer of Havoc, she doesn't have to touch to do it. Certain types of energy literally flock to her." Reggie was the one explaining this time.

"With the right training and practice, Harley and I can get like that but it's almost counter productive for us. It takes energy to pull energy to us."

"So, how does she release the energy?" The Doctor seemed to be having the same issue I had when talking to Reggie and had forgotten I was there. Reggie sighed and Harley shook her head when he looked to her. Finally, I spoke up.

"You remember that hurricane Katrina that hit the bottom of the U.S. a few years back? Wiped out nearly entire states, they're still recovering from it big, hurricane?" He nodded as if to say 'vaguely'.

"That was me. I got angry and lost control of the energy I had in me and bam, no more Louisiana."

"You lost control and caused a natural disaster?" He sounded like he didn't believe us but my guilty look must have changed his mind.

"How much energy can you hold at one time?"

"Don't really know." I shrugged taking another hit from my cigarette.

"Usually when I get too much, I fall into a coma until enough of it is assimilated into my natural energies and I can keep a leash on it. That's why I missed the planets in the sky. It was too much at once."

"I wondered how you did with that. It was pretty creepy dude. These freaking oversized garbage cans with plungers tried to break into the house. I swear they'd almost gotten in when all of a sudden, they left." Reggie was nostalgic as she excitedly filled me in on what I'd missed.

"I heard about it. Jack didn't believe I missed it." I informed her and she nodded with a 'It was pretty hard to miss.'

"Wait, so back up. You can control the energy in you right now, hypothetically." The Doctor interupted us when Harley was about to join the new conversation and we all gave him pouty 'how rude' faces before I returned to the point of our visit.

"Not hypothetically. I can. I just have to be able to control myself as well, my emotions. That's why I said fear was the cause back on the ship. I couldn't control my fear and the power burst from me." He nodded and waved a hand as if to brush the comment aside.

"But can you control releasing the power to lower the levels so if you do lose control it doesn't so much burst as leak?" He questioned and I gave him a 'are you stupid' look.

"She's literally chaos, dude." Reggie's voice matched my look.

"A drop of her energy can cause a ten car pile up. There's not a way to control that. Not for her, for any of us."

"Well, that was before you met me." He boasted just a little and I gave him an expectant grin.

"And what is your brilliant plan to harness the bringer of havoc?" I questioned and his face fell just a little.

"I'm still working on it. Give us a minute to process everything." Even Reggie knew he was bluffing then and she laughed with Harley and I. The Doctor's face fell a little more as he got just a little pout across his lips and forehead. Reggie was the first to sober up and turn back to me.

"Have you tried Malic? He's been dying to put a leash on you for centuries. He might have a clue how to safely release your energy." She suggested and I grimaced at the mention of the man at the same time Harley did.

"Who's Malic?" The Doctor's pout was gone as interest crossed his face again.

"A dumb ass seer who thinks just becuase he knows one future he can dictate everything I do and where I go." I explained the grimace leaking through to my tone.

"I swear the little bastard just rubs me the wrong way." Harley and I both continued to grumble about Malic for a few more seconds before a grill to the right of us literally exploded into tiny pieces and the only reason we weren't impaled or decapitated with flying sheets of metal was because of Reggie's instant instinct to throw up her hands forming a protective shield of shimmering air. The scream that left us though couldn't be stopped and a second later Jack, Owen and Martha were swinging open the door. Jack was hit with still falling piece and fell back into the other two making them all fall into the kitchen with a muffled 'oof'. Another scream was ripped from Harley and I as we first tried to warn them off and then struggled not to laugh as they tumbled backwards onto the floor. The Doctor was busy examining the solid sheet before him that Reggie had yet to lower as there were still knobs falling and he'd missed the whole thing. Harley and I were laughing at the pile inside and Reggie was yelling at us about blowing up her grill.

"What the bloody hell happened?" Owen ground out when he finally got to his feet again.

"We were discussing an old aquaintance we're not particularly fond of and blew up Reggie's grill." Harley told him as Reggie finally lowered her arms, the sheild going with them.

"You so owe me a new one." She grumbled pulling out another cigarette and using a slightly smoldering piece of charcoal to light it.

"Yes dear." I answered taking her que and lighting another of my own as our last ones were somewhere in the rubble.

"You say this Malic might be able to control the power?" The Doctor asked his examination returning to us. Harley and I grumbled some more and the Doctor backed towards the house like he wanted to duck and cover.

"Not likely. He thinks he can but he's just another bureaucrat with delusions of grandeur." Harley answered this time and even Reggie nodded her agreement. "He's hardly worth the trip."

"All true but he might let slip something useful under the proper circumstances. You could kill two birds with one stone. Let off some energy on someone else's grill and get Malic to give up some info." She suggested and I had to grudgingly nod at the logic.

"Yeah, but for that matter we could visit our vaults for the same thing. There's nothing he knows that we haven't at some time or another." Harley pointed out and I spun on her causing her to jump.

"You're a genius! We have a space ship that materializes anywhere! We could go to all of the vaults! And if that doesn't work, we could go to the library of Alexandria and for that matter we could go back to our first planet where we kept good records and still had all our natural abilities. We do have a time machine." As I spoke Harley got more excited and when I'd finished we turned to the Doctor as if asking for permission.

"We can't cross your personal timelines but other than that, if you think it would help..." We both nodded rapidly and he waited a moment making us start bouncing in anticipation and finally agreed. We both squealed and jumped at him, wrapping him in a quick hug. Harley hung on while I spun away to start bouncing up and down, gripping Reggie's arms and she just grinned at my enthusiasm and waited for me to calm down.

"I thought we weren't supposed to know about the vaults." Owen piped up from the door and I turned my head to look at his grinning face.

"I guess we'll just have to leave you here then. My nephew will get a kick out of that shiny new switch of yours." I told him a completely serious look and tone directed his way.

"Not bloody likely." Martha huffed crossing her arms as if to say 'we're all going and you can't stop us'.

"Yeah, they're not staying here. Captain Jack can, but the other two? Nuh uh. Not unless they're buying my grill." Reggie threw in and I grinned at her and then rolled my eyes.

"Enough with the grill already. It was an accident." Harley spouted finally releasing the Doctor.

"No. I was gonna use that tonight. Now what am I supposed to do? I can't afford to get another one and God knows I can't set one up. My son needs fed sometime tonight and now I have nothing to make his dinner on," she whined in that cranky mom tone.

"Well, I think there's a spare one in the TARDIS. If I can just remember where she put it." The Doctor went off on a ramble to himself about the location of the spare grill and for her part, Reggie just took it in stride when he mentioned it possibly being in the study or the garden. Jack finally regained conciousness and Martha took a moment to fill him in and Owen just grumbled and went back to the living room.

"Does he actually have a grill or is he just rambling until I give up on the idea entirely?" Reggie finally leaned over to Harley and questioned in a loud stage whisper.

"Oh, he probably has twelve grills. He's a rambler. Like a manic me. It's actually pretty convenient 'cause I've been getting steadily further into one of my highs since he showed up." I told her as we abandoned the Doctor to his ramble and headed back inside.

"Which is great because before she couldn't get off the couch. No offense but I was a little worried you were gonna start changing color to match it." Harley walked beside me and gave me a pat on the shoulder as I shrugged to say I knew I'd gotten bad.

"It's like I told the Doctor. For a demon of chaos who keeps the balance to not have anything to do is hard, especially for me. The traveling around seems to be helping a lot though. If I can just get a handle on the random shifting and maybe stabalize the energy fluxes going on then I might balance out. Won't that be novel? A balanced balance keeper?" It was my turn to ramble and Reggie shook her head chuckling while she went about pulling her dinner preperations out of the fridge. Harley nodded humoring me and I took a seat at the table to visit for a bit while we waited for the Doctor to realize he was alone. It didn't take long. Martha convinced Jack to go help him track down the promised grill and the two went around the side of the house out of sight.

"So, what's the story with this Captain Jack? He's hot." Reggie asked as soon as they'd made it off the porch and out of what she knew to be easy hearing range. The Doctor probably heard her but he wouldn't say anything as it would just encourage the Captain and that was something I'd learned quickly he really didn't like to do.

"Isn't he though?" Martha joined the conversation also taking a seat and getting that 'girl talk' look on her face while Harley and I just grinned.

"He's immortal you know."

"Is he now? I thought he was just some kind of future time traveler. Is he human?" She was only paying half attention while she cut up some lettuce for a salad.

"Oh yeah. He's human. He's from the fifty first century and was just a time traveler. Until he met the Doctor." Martha had this gleeful story teller tone to her voice as she told Jack's story.

"Bloody hell. I'm going to go help the other two." Owen grumbled from the doorway at Jami's gleeful face. None of us had realized he was standing there when we'd started our girl talk so we giggled as he walked out the front door.

"So is that like a requirement of meeting the Doctor or more of an effect?" Reggie asked returning to our conversation.

"What do you mean?" I asked her a little confused as to which part she was refering to.

"Well, I mean, Captain Jack Harkness is immortal after the Doctor, Owen is living half dead and you two are full blown demons. What about you?" She looked at Martha with the last question and she shook her head.

"I'm normal human but being with the Doctor doesn't do any of that. Jack was changed because of a girl who was traveling with him before I met him. Owen died at Torchwood and the Doctor had nothing to do with that. Traveling with him does change you though. He turns normal people into something better. Still human but I don't know. He just brings out the best in you and shows you that you're capable of things you never dreamed you could do before." Martha had this dreamy tone to her voice now as she talked about the Doctor and it was obvious to all of us that there was a little bit of a crush mixed with hero worship going on in her head. To be fair though, from what we'd experienced of him already, the Doctor deserved both.

"Like saving humanity with a single word, twice." I said it more as a rhetorical statement but she smiled and nodded her affirmation anyhow.

"Huh?" Reggie stopped her cutting to actually look at us with the question. "Remember back when we went to see Shakespeare and we told you about the portal and the Expelliarmus chick?" I tried reminding Reggie and she apparently did remember because she looked over at the blushing Martha and then burst out laughing. She had tears in her eyes when Jack came back into the kitchen, the other two lugging a shiny new grill onto the porch.

"Is she okay?" He asked after stopping his original question when he spotted her.

"Fine. We're just swapping war stories." I explained and she wiped her eyes trying to sober up a bit.

"What d'ya need?"

"A broom to clean up the debris you made." He was grinning while he said it and Harley got up and headed to a closet in the hall where Reggie usually kept the broom.


End file.
